Iowa
Farm field drainage failure leads to creek contamination, dead fish • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Underground drainage tiling apparently failed and formed a sinkhole in a corn field in northwest Iowa that allowed manure to flow into a creek, where it killed small fish for miles, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The manure came from Roorda Dairy west of Paullina, which has about 4,200 dairy cattle, DNR records show. The dairy was irrigating a field with manure and didn’t notice the damaged tile line because of standing corn, said Tom Roos, a senior environmental specialist for the department.
“With all these rain events, a tile line must have burst,” he said.
Paullina is in O’Brien County in far northwest Iowa, parts of which have suffered from severe flooding in recent weeks. The pressure from influxes of water into tile drains can cause weak areas to rupture, after which soil can flow into the tiling and create a sinkhole.
On Wednesday, someone noticed dead fish in nearby Mud Creek and reported it to state law enforcement. A DNR investigation found that the manure had been flowing into the creek through the drainage tiling and killed fish along about 9 miles of the stream, until it met another creek.
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It’s unclear how many gallons of manure might have spilled into the creek and how many fish it killed, Roos said. An investigation is ongoing.
The dairy promptly plugged a culvert to prevent more manure from reaching the creek, Roos said. He did not know how long the spill had occurred.
Roorda Dairy paid a $5,000 fine to the DNR in 2022 for starting construction on a manure digester without state approval. Digesters use bacteria to consume the manure and emit flammable gases such as methane that can be used to heat or power farm operations.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — More counties in northwest Iowa have been approved for FEMA assistance.
Governor Kim Reynolds announced Thursday that individual assistance has been approved for three more counties: Dickinson, Humboldt, and Palo Alto. The aid is under the presidential major disaster declaration which was issued for counties damaged by severe storms and tornadoes on June 16.
Dickinson County residents will also now be eligible for the Iowa Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program. The program is for people whose homes have been destroyed, damaged, or are declared not livable.
For more information about disaster recovery in Iowa, click here.
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IOWA CITY — The future of Iowa football special teams just got a boost.
Class of 2025 specialist Scott Starzyk announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes on Thursday. Starzyk is the No. 1 ranked kicker and No. 4 ranked punter in the class, according to Kohl’s Kicking. He is regarded as a five-star prospect in both categories.
Starzyk, a product of The Woodlands High School in Texas, picked the Hawkeyes over other offers from Mississippi State, Syracuse, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, among others. Iowa offered Starzyk a full-ride scholarship, which is something it doesn’t always do for high school specialist prospects. He took a visit to Iowa in June.
Iowa kicker Drew Stevens has two seasons of eligibility remaining. So barring something unforeseen, Starzyk will be in his first season in the Hawkeye program while Stevens is in his last. The Hawkeyes also have placekicker Tripp Woody on the roster. Iowa just brought in a freshman punter, Rhys Dakin, to fill the departure of Hawkeye legend Tory Taylor.
Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods continues to do good work for the Hawkeyes. That facet of the game has been a strength for the program. Landing Starzyk is another step in continuing that standard.
Starzyk joins LeVar Woods’ son among the commitments in Iowa’s 2025 class. Iowa City West’s Mason Woods made his public pledge to Iowa in June.
The Hawkeyes continue to make progress in its 2025 recruiting class.
Over the last few weeks, the Hawkeyes have landed verbal commitments from Mason Woods, 3-star offensive lineman Cameron Herron and Lucas Allgeyer, 3-star cornerback CJ Bell and 3-star defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon.
Iowa is still trying to fill out the class. Highly touted Hawkeye legacy recruit Iose Epenesa, brother of former Iowa star A.J. Epenesa, has yet to announce his college choice. If Epenensa were to commit to the Hawkeyes, it would be a headliner to Iowa’s 2025 recruiting class. The Hawkeyes are also still in the mix for receiver Terrence Smith.
Starzyk is now the 14th player to commit to Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 2025 recruiting class.
He joins the following verbal commitments in the class:
- Defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon (Marist, Ill.)
- Cornerback CJ Bell (St. Thomas More School, CT)
- Offensive lineman Lucas Allgeyer (Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day, MO)
- Offensive lineman Cameron Herron (Warren Central, Ind.)
- Athlete Mason Woods (Iowa City West)
- Defensive back Drew MacPherson (Loyola Academy, Ill.)
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald (Loyola Academy, Ill.)
- Tight end Thomas Meyer (Clear Lake)
- Linebacker Burke Gautcher (Sycamore, Ill.)
- Linebacker Carson Cooney (Oswego, Ill.),
- Tight end Eli Johnson (River Falls, Wis.),
- Quarterback Jimmy Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
- Defensive lineman Joey VanWetzinga (Pleasant Valley)
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
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