A manure spill is being investigated in Clayton Township east of Elkton today.

Wednesday, May 03, 2000

A manure spill is being investigated in Clayton Township east of Elkton today.

A Minnesota Pollution Control Agency duty officer informed Mower County Sheriff Barry J. Simonson of the spill.

According to officials, the spill occurred at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday along a gravel road in Section 3, Clayton Township.

An unidentified manure hauler told investigators a hose burst, resulting in the spill of manure onto the roadway and into a roadside ditch.

The manure was dammed in the ditch to prevent it from flowing away from the spill scene. It is not known how much escaped into a ditch nearby before the precautions could be taken.

At press-time today, the spill was still being investigated.

Because Mower County is the MPCA’s delegated authority, Lowell Franzen, the county’s feedlot enforcement officer, was at the scene with Bill Buckley, county environmental services director, examining possible pollution threats.