Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill in Hecker Creek. (Photo via Google Earth)
Iowa Department of Natural Resources field staff in Manchester confirmed Friday the office was investigating a fish kill that occurred during the time period of a massive fire at a meat processing plant in Postville.
Brett Meyers, an environmental specialist with the field office in Manchester. said the office has not received test results of water in Hecker Creek, where the fish kill was observed, to be able to determine the cause of the kill.
A fire July 28 in Postville at the city’s largest employer, Agri Star Meat and Poultry, burned three quarters of the kosher meat plant and smoldered for several days, according to news reports.
Meyers said DNR staff were investigating a fish kill in Hecker Creek “during that time period.”
While DNR typically sends out public releases about spills or fish kill investigations, Tammie Krausman, the communications director for DNR, said public information related to the incident would be pushed out by the “incident command” because the fire triggered a county emergency response.
According to the Iowa Department of Homeland Security, in the event of an emergency or disaster, responders operate in an incident command system, which allows the incident commander to determine priorities, coordinate the response and authorize any information released to the media.
The Postville Volunteer Fire Department noted that more than 20 area fire departments and several additional emergency response teams responded to the fire.
Krausman said the incident command with Allamakee County was given information from DNR about Hecker Creek and the fish kill.
Allamakee County officials did not respond to a request for additional information Friday.
Krausman said staff investigating the fish kill reported that no livestock were using the creek for watering at the time.
DNR lists Hecker Creek as an impaired waterway due to E. coli bacteria and high levels of chloride. The creek, along with the nearby Yellow River, have also been the subject of various lawsuits that allege Agri Star polluted the streams.