Iowa finds dead fish in 50 miles of fertilizer-contaminated river

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Jared Strong - March 15, 2024 2:30 pm

Iowa conservation officials found no living fish this week in the East Nishnabotna River south of Red Oak — the result of a massive fertilizer spill at a farmers cooperative.

The only living fish were discovered near Hamburg in far southwest Iowa, downstream of where the river joins with the West Nishnabotna, said John Lorenzen, a fisheries biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

However, the handful of surviving carp he saw appeared to be in the process of dying.

“I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before,” Lorenzen said.


Liquid nitrogen fertilizer flowed through this ditch and went into the East Nishnabotna River in Red Oak, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports. (Courtesy of Iowa DNR)


Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/iowa-finds-dead-fish-in-50-miles-of-fertilizer-contaminated-river/

[KS Toronado]

1. And we eat food grown with liquid nitrogen fertilizer

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. It's worse than that.

The oligarchs have arranged it so that nitrogen is in the air you breathe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen

N2 forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant uncombined element in air.

Moving along …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_fixation

Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (N2), which has a strong triple covalent bond, is converted into ammonia (NH3) or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. The nitrogen in air is molecular dinitrogen, a relatively nonreactive molecule that is metabolically useless to all but a few microorganisms. Biological nitrogen fixation or diazotrophy is an important microbe-mediated process that converts dinitrogen (N2) gas to ammonia (NH3) using the nitrogenase protein complex (Nif).

Nitrogen fixation is essential to life because fixed inorganic nitrogen compounds are required for the biosynthesis of all nitrogen-containing organic compounds, such as amino acids and proteins, nucleoside triphosphates and nucleic acids. As part of the nitrogen cycle, it is essential for agriculture and the manufacture of fertilizer. It is also, indirectly, relevant to the manufacture of all nitrogen chemical compounds, which include some explosives, pharmaceuticals, and dyes.

Those monsters!

[Dem2theMax]

2. No words.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. That was a mighty cold day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen—LN2—is nitrogen in a liquid state at low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about —196 °C (—321 °F; 77 K). It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air.

[Mersky]

7. Yeah, the multiple sources I checked are using "liquid nitrogen" fertilizer

Only occasionally specified as a 32% solution, which is helpful.

https://westerniowatoday.com/2024/03/15/331895/

[Mysterian]

5. Mankind will pay a severe price for its wanton destruction of the natural world

The only known biosphere in the universe and we treat it like a trash dump.

[NickB79]

6. Liquid nitrogen? Do they mean manure slurry?

Because manmade nitrogen fertilizer is applied to fields as pressurized anhydrous ammonia from large tanks towed by tractors that literally inject it into the soil. If the tank ruptures, the ammonia vents as a gas, sometimes with lethal effect if the farmer doesn't get clear in time.

And Iowa has plenty of manure slurry from all the hog farms.

[dalton99a]

8. 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer

The spill is the result of someone at NEW Cooperative leaving open a hose valve that leaked about 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer, said Wendy Wittrock, a senior environmental specialist for the DNR.

The leak is believed to have started Saturday and was discovered and stopped by a co-op employee Monday morning, she said.

The company might be subject to large fines and restitution fees for the dead fish.

[Aussie105]

9. The fish suffocate . . .

Last edited Sat Mar 16, 2024, 07:06 PM - Edit history (2)

'Liquid nitrogen' is shorthand for compounds, either as solid or in dissolved form, used by farmers to keep crop production up.

Without it, the soil would be depleted quickly, and your crop production would drop off rapidly.

Runoff from farming or a spill like this feed bacteria in the water which suck the oxygen out of the water and all other aquatic life dies.

Destroying local ecosystems - just so consumers can have high fructose corn syrup in everything!
(I'm assuming this is corn county.)