The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a manure release from an animal feeding operation south of Albia in Monroe County.
The DNR says it received multiple reports Friday morning of the release from a vacated manure storage basin located about six miles south of Albia. Field staff from the DNR’s Des Moines office have been on-site investigating.
Officials say the animal feeding operation had been vacant, but manure mixed with rainwater remained in the basin. The discharge has now stopped, but most of the contents from the basin emptied into Soap Creek, a tributary of the Des Moines River.
The DNR says the stream was dry at the point where the manure entered, but it now contains a mixture of water and manure. So far, officials have observed no impacts to aquatic life.
The agency says enforcement action will be determined once the investigation is complete. The public is being advised to avoid the area until conditions clear.