• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Fires/Accidents/Disasters / Barbecue sauce spill in Muscatine turns stream red, stresses fish

Barbecue sauce spill in Muscatine turns stream red, stresses fish

December 5, 2007 By admin

A condiment spill in Muscatine Tuesday morning turned a local stream red and caused some stress to the fish that live there. Paul Brandt of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a malfunction at the Heinz U.S.A. plant caused over 500 gallons of barbecue sauce to get into a local creek.

Brandt says they have a process where machine pulls air out of the barbecue sauce as it is made, but the machine malfunctioned and pulled the barbecue sauce out onto the roof where it ran into the stream. Brandt says the sauce flowed into Mad Creek and turned the creek red, while also staining the banks red.

Brandt says the stream was red for less than half a mile, and there was some impact on the fish. Brandt says they noticed stressed fish, but no dead fish. Brandt says the spill had the potential to do some damage, even though it was food.

Brandt says people think food that we eat can’t be toxic, and while it isn’t toxic, he says sometimes a spill like this will overwhelm the stream and cause an oxygen depletion. Brandt says fish weren’t meant to swim in barbecue sauce. He says food is a good thing for us, but it’s not a good thing in the water. Brandt isn’t sure if the Heinz plant will face any penalties for the spill. He says this did happen once before at the plant several years ago.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Outdoors Tagged With: Department of Natural Resources, Food

Featured Stories

Governor signs Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard into law

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

A haboob, a dust storm black out, hits northwest Iowa

Summit has easements for 20% of carbon pipeline route through Iowa

Morel mushroom hunters on hold without warmer conditions

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

T.J. Otzelberger announces staff changes at Iowa State

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC