Iowa
Experts detail environmental impact of fertilizer spill in southwest Iowa
RED OAK, Iowa. (WOWT) – Water is one of the necessities of life.
“Everybody wants good water quality. We all have to drink water. We all recreate in water,” said John Lorenzen, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Lorenzen and his fellow DNR experts are still examining the environmental impacts of a massive 1,500-ton liquid nitrogen fertilizer spill near Red Oak, Iowa caused by a New Cooperative valve that was left open last Monday.
They know liquid nitrogen fertilizer traveled along the East Nishnabotna River in Iowa for 50 miles down to the state of Missouri where it’s estimated to have traveled at least another 10 miles.
“(It’s) probably the longest fishkill that we’ve experienced in this area,” said Brent Marten, an environmental specialist for the Iowa DNR.
As the fertilizer plume swept through the water, the home of aquatic wildlife soon became their grave. Native species of varying sizes were found dead ashore and floating in the water.
“Just acute toxicity basically burned tissue on the outside and if they ingested it, on the inside of the fish,” said Lorenzen.
Water testing showed that where the spill happened, nitrogen levels were at least 60 times higher than they should’ve been.
After surveying from Red Oak to Hamburg on the Iowa-Missouri border, surveyors told 6 News they didn’t see any live fish with one exception: “We saw a handful of grass carp at the Hamburg bridge that were in the process of dying,” said Lorenzen. “Fortunately, this did not happen a month or so from now.”
That’s because larger species, like catfish, are still in the Missouri River for the cold season. If it were warmer, they too could’ve been killed. Lorenzen is hopeful that the native species will rebound. Those that found refuge in tributaries should spawn and restock the river. It’s still unknown how long that will take.
“On a short time frame, a year,” said Lorenzen. “On a longer time frame, it may take a bit longer. It’s really hard to say.”
Lorenzen explained this may have an impact on the larger fish in the upcoming season. With many of the smaller, native fish of the East Nishnabotna River dead, the food chain may be impacted.
Now, Martens is doing follow-up testing for the water. In Red Oak, the nitrogen levels are back to what they would’ve been before the spill. He said it’s likely once the plume hits the Missouri River it would dilute and dissolve.
The field specialists’ reports will go to the legal division of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. From there they’ll determine the next steps and possible fines.
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Iowa
Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years
HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.
This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.
The much taller Illini (28-8) outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds.
Coach Brad Underwood’s emphasis on recruiting in Eastern Europe has paid off in this tournament. Tomislav Ivisic of Croatia, who stands 7-foot-1, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir have shined in March.
Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, scored 17 points for third-seeded Illinois.
His famous father watched proudly as his son punched his ticket to the Final Four, and Wagler’s parents — who met when they played basketball at a junior college in Kansas — cheered wildly throughout for their son, who was named MVP of the region.
Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round as part of an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State.
Iowa
Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State
No. 6 seed Tennessee (25-11) defeated No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-8), 76-62, on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The Vols advanced to their third consecutive Elite Eight under 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes.
“One, very humbled by it,” Barnes said. “Certainly proud of our basketball team. They worked really hard. Defensively, I thought we knew we would have to have a great effort defensively. Certainly Iowa State, outstanding. T.J. (Otzelberger), outstanding program, coach.
“This time of year is always tough when you lose a key guy like they did, and that’s part of the tournament. That’s the tough part about it, but just really proud of our guys and the effort they made and against a team that they play as hard as any team we played all year. The start of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that all year, and we were able to withstand it. Again, just really proud of the effort from our entire team. Everybody had a hand in us winning this game.”
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Iowa
Tennessee basketball vs Iowa State Sweet 16 tipoff time changed for later start
CHICAGO − Tennessee basketball’s Men’s NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State will start a little later than planned.
The Sweet 16 game between the No. 6 Vols (24-11) and No. 2 Cyclones (29-7) will now tipoff at 10:25 p.m. ET at the United Center on TBS.
The game was originally scheduled for 10:10 p.m. before the 15-minute delay. There is also the standard 30-minute break in between tournament games. Tennessee and Iowa State won’t begin until 30 minutes after the end of No. 1 Michigan (33-3) and No. 4 Alabama (29-5).
Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson status
Iowa State’s star forward Joshua Jefferson is questionable against Tennessee basketball according to the NCAA player availability report released at 6:32 p.m.
Jefferson sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round game against Tennessee State. He sat for the remainder of the game and missed the Cyclones’ win over Kentucky on March 22. Iowa State didn’t need the All-Big 12 forward as it generated 20 Wildcat turnovers in its 19-point victory.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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