(The Center Square) – The former owners and operators of Morning View Dairy in Merrill agreed to pay $70,000 for its violations that led to a 2021 fish kill in Devil Creek caused by the dairy.
The Department of Natural Resources will receive $50,000, according to a settlement approved by the Lincoln County Circuit Court.
The fish died after a leaky valve on the dairy’s manure storage allowed manure to go into Devil Creek.
The DNR received a report of the contamination June 9, 2021 and the next day DNR fisheries staff then observed distressed, dying and dead fish in Devil Creek from the dairy downstream to where the creek meets the Wisconsin River.
“The manure caused the dissolved oxygen in the creek to drop to near zero and resulted in a complete kill of all species and sizes of fish over 3.8 miles of the creek,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul’s office said.
The tip came through the DNR’s tip line, which can be reached anonymously at 1-800-TIP-WDNR.
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