N.Y. Manure Spill Blamed for Fish Deaths

[southernman]

[black][size 5]N.Y. Manure Spill Blamed for Fish Deaths[/size][/black]
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LOWVILLE, N.Y. - Three million gallons of liquid manure spilled from a dairy farm and into a nearby river, creating a smelly flow that was blamed for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of fish.
The toxic tide had traveled some 20 miles on the Black River by Friday and was expected to flow past Watertown, a city of 25,000, which shut off its water intake.

Farmers in this dairy-intensive county were warned not to let their cows drink from the river, and emergency officials were trying Friday to flush out the contamination by increasing the flow from the Beaver River, which feeds the Black River.

The process could take a week or two, said Jim Martin, Lewis County's emergency manager.

"If we get some good rain over the weekend, it's going to help a lot. If it stays hot and dry, it's going to stay awhile," Martin said.
The manure spilled from a lagoon at the large Marks Farms late Wednesday or early Thursday when an earthen wall blew out, sending the liquid into a drainage ditch and then into the river, Martin said.

State officials estimated the manure had killed hundreds of thousands of fish, including perch, bass, catfish, shiners and walleye.

The state health department was monitoring the manure. No human illnesses had been reported, Martin said.
No charges had been filed against the farm owners as of Friday morning, he said.

The farm, about 5 miles south of Lowville, is owned by David and Jacquelyn Peck and William Marks, according to federal records. A woman answering the phone there Friday said the owners were not speaking to reporters.

Steven Fuller, who owns a riverside restaurant in Lowville, said his restaurant had many cancellations Thursday. "The smell is your typical dairy air, you might say," he said.
Watertown can draw from a 60 million gallon reserve supply of water through the weekend, if need be, said Brian Gaffney, the city's treatment plant operator.

The spill was expected to reach Lake Ontario in coming days.
"The farther down it flows, the more its going to get diluted and the less harm it will do," Martin said.


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[davetclown]

I heard about this on the news here in michigan, it kind of reminds me of driving though ohio 40 years ago when sewage was pumped in to road side ditches during heavy rains.

they dont do that any more but I can remember passing though ohio and all us kids had a hard time plugging our noses.

we didnt need a road sign to tell us we were in ohio, the stench was a dead give away....
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