(Radio Iowa) – All the recent rain in northeast Iowa is tightening the planting deadlines for farmers and already-planted crops are being threatened. Parts of the region have gotten more than six-inches of rain since Tuesday morning, flooding many cornfields and making planting impossible. Iowa State University field agronomist Terry Basol says if the rainfall continues, farmers may have to ask some tough questions.

“We’re getting close to the end of May, and so the next question is: How late is too late to plant corn to make sure we can be able to get it to the end of season?” Corn planting is already behind the state’s five-year average, and the deadline is around the end of the month. More heavy rain is expected Thursday night and into the weekend. Basol says concerns are mounting as far as corn that’s already in the ground.

“For that that has been planted, in that scenario, what’s the case for that as far as longevity and survivability with the storms that we’ve had so far.”

Monthly rainfall totals for northeast Iowa already exceed ten inches. Basol says farmers will need four days after flooding recedes to check on corn health.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Environmental Protection Commission voted today (Wednesday) to refer the case of the New Cooperative fertilizer spill on the East Nishnabotna River near Red Oak to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. Bradley Adams, the attorney for the E-P-C, told commissioners the referral is justified after 265-thousand gallons of fertilizer got into the river. “A 50 mile stretch of the river became uninhabitable for aquatic life,” he says. He says frogs, snakes, mussels and fish died due to the contamination.

“D-N-R’s fishery staff estimated that in excess of 749-thousand fish were killed in Iowa’s portion of the East Nish. The kill extended into Missouri and only ended once the river met at the confluence with the Missouri River,” Adams says. Adams says the D-N-R penalty for this would be capped at ten-thousand dollars and that is why he recommends referral to the attorney general.

“A fish kill of this size equates to a high dollar restitution total, the state must ensure full financial recovery to mitigate the harm that was caused to East Nish,” Adams says. “Ongoing needs also include monitoring and sampling which the Attorney General’s Office can secure on more favorable terms the Department. In short, a higher amount of leverage is required to ensure that efforts to mitigate the release and restore the East Nishnabotna progresses at a satisfactory rate.”

New Cooperative spill

The valve was left open and that was not noticed as the hose was clogged, but the material came out after the clog broke. New Coop general manager Dan Dix spoke to the Commission before the vote. “Our company has always operated under the philosophy we strive to do the right thing, for the customer, the employee, and they want you to know that this is the first time in 50 years company has been in existence that we’ve dealt with this type of issue. Unfortunately, it was simply due to a mistake,” he says. Dix says the Fort Dodge-based company did everything it could to mitigate the damage after discovering the issue.

“We take this matter very seriously and hope that our actions during the cleanup show everyone our dedication to doing the right thing,” Dix says. Michael Schmidt of the Iowa Environmental Council also spoke. “We believe this is the type of case that should be referred for elevated enforcement action through the agency’s office because the Department of Natural Resources administrative cap of 10-thousand dollars in penalties has not changed since 1992, and that level of penalty would not reflect the seriousness of this case,” he says.

DES MOINES – Following days of heavy rainfall, flash flooding and Tuesday’s severe storms, multiple Iowa wastewater treatment plants have reported discharging untreated or partially treated wastewater.
These discharges can result from heavy precipitation, power outages and storm damage, among other things.
Since April 1, the Iowa DNR has received reports of 131 discharges at wastewater treatment facilities due to heavy precipitation, with 44 of those being reported in the last five days. Heavy rain can overload wastewater collection systems, which are underground sewer pipes that carry sewage to a treatment plant. Aging or poorly maintained sanitary sewer systems are particularly vulnerable to influxes of storm water.
With sewage pipes overwhelmed, excess water has nowhere to go, and can back up into basements through floor drains. Bypassing can lower the water level in the collection system, keeping sewage from backing up into basements, which could present health risks.
DNR staff continue to monitor these situations and will provide assistance to impacted communities.
It is highly recommended people and pets avoid these areas and stay out of flooded and elevated waterways due to safety concerns.
For more information on wastewater discharges and flooding updates, contact your local DNR Environmental Field office. You can find the office for your region at: https://www.iowadnr.gov/fieldoffice

“Ultimately the enforcement action taken by the A-Gs office must reflect the grave impact of the fertilizer spill and the effects on the East Nishnabotna River,” Schmidt says. The E-P-C voted unanimously to refer the case to the Attorney General.

ADAIR COUNTY, Iowa — Heavy precipitation is causing a discharge of untreated wastewater from the City of Fontanelle. It is flowing from the lift station located at Washington and Main Streets in town to an unnamed tributary which runs more than a mile before reaching the Middle Nodaway River.

The discharge began on May 21 at 8:30 a.m. and has been intermittent throughout the day and night, still occurring this morning. The discharge amount is currently unknown. DNR staff are monitoring the situation and are conducting sampling.

It is highly recommended people and pets avoid these areas and stay out of flooded and elevated waterways due to safety concerns.

(Radio Iowa) – After months of delays, the Farm Bill was introduced today (Wednesday) in the U-S House. It’s more than a thousand pages long and it’s estimated to cost one-and-a-half TRILLION dollars over ten years. Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra, who serves on the House Agricultural Committee, says the massive piece of legislation is vital to farmers in Iowa and nationwide. “The most important part of the Farm Bill is protecting producers,” Feenstra says, “whether they be livestock or commodity farmers. We have to make sure we have a safety net.”

He says that safety net includes crop insurance, in addition to improving exports and preventing animal illnesses. “We’re being devastated by the bird flu, and we surely don’t ever want to see African swine fever come into our livestock,” he says, “and that’s the main goals that we’re trying to achieve.” Feenstra, the Republican who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, says he worked on 25 bills contained in the Farm Bill.

The package includes cuts to the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and overturns California’s Proposition 12 mandates. The previous farm bill from 2018 expired last fall and was extended through September.