About 640,000 gallons of manure spilled out of a dairy farm in southern Door County on Monday morning.
Jason Lowrey, who heads the Department of Natural Resources’ spills response team, said that the spill occurred on a farm in Brussels around 4 a.m. He said that a door on an above-ground containment pit was either left open or malfunctioned. He said that it was one of the largest spills in Wisconsin history.
“There was a 300,000 gallon one we had last fall, but according to our electronic records, this is the largest one since 2005,” said Lowery.
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Lowrey said the farm’s owner, Kurt DeGrave, reported the spill and the DNR was there by 5 a.m.
The manure flowed into a ditch by Sugar Creek. Lowrey said the creek’s water levels are low — good news, since it means the manure won’t travel too far or fast.
That area of northeastern Wisconsin is part of the Niagara Escarpment which is known for thin soil and shallow bedrock. But Lowrey said there’s little danger of the waste seeping into groundwater.
“It looks like in this particular spot, we were lucky because the soil is thicker than in a lot of other places in Door County,” said Lowrey. “If the manure was going into bedrock, that would make this spill a … bigger concern.”
Private contractors have erected an earthen berm to contain the spill.
The DNR says it’s too soon to determine if negligence is involved.
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