A group of environmentalists is asking state officials to inspect the manure application from a cattle feedlot in northeast Iowa that’s near a prized trout
stream.
Supreme Beef is constructing a feedlot in Clayton County for 11,600 head of cattle, but already has 800 cattle nearby. Steve Veysey, a retired chemist from Iowa State University, is part of a group that’s collected several water samples this fall from the stream. He says test results from the state hygienic lab show elevated bacterial levels and the presence of ammonia.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a smoking gun,” Veysey says, “but it’s a strong indicator that manure from Supreme Beef has made its way to surface waters and that’s a violation because Supreme Beef does not have a permit to discharge.”
The Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter has filed a lawsuit in state court, arguing the agency improperly approved the site for the cattle feedlot near the six-mile-long trout stream that’s west of Marquette. The creek is named Bloody Run and it’s one of just 34 waterways in Iowa with an “outstanding” designation from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
(By Clay Masters, Iowa Public Radio)