The Iowa Department of Natural resources is investigating yet another fish kill incident in Carroll County. Officials say Tuesday’s discovery is separate from the one investigated one-week ago, yet both incidents involve Elk Run Creek, a tributary of the North Raccoon River in Northern Carroll County. Investigators were still looking into the source of last week’s kill when they noticed a strong odor of manure in the creek, and saw additional evidence of dead aquatic life. It appears that nearly four-miles of stream have been affected by the total fish kill, although once again an accurate count is being hampered by the amount of loose sediment in the water. The portion of the stream that is affected is about a mile and a-half above the confluence with the Raccoon River. The D-N-R’s Alison Manz says if the forecast for rain holds true, that might result in the pollution being pushed downstream, but it may also provide some dilution. She says they’ll just have to wait and see. Ealry indications are that both fish kills were caused by maure entering the stream from an open feedlot. Investigators will be on location today to try and determine the source of the contamination. Meantime, downstream water managers in Des Moines have been notified.
