An estimated 1,800 gallons of manure was spilled near Harper Wednesday afternoon. The spill on land owned by LDR Ranch Company at 30256 190th Street is attributed to a tractor operator that failed to shut down the hydraulics properly after pumping manure, leading the pit pump to start while the operator was away.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, a portion of the spill ran into a tile line that’s connected to an unnamed creek that is a tributary of Clear Creek which is a tributary of the Skunk River. The unnamed creek was damned downstream of the manure spill and the water was pumped from the creek.

Field tests conducted during the DNR’s investigation revealed high ammonia levels upstream and downstream from the dam. As of yesterday, no fish had died due to the spill.