State officials say ammonia used as a refrigerant in a Wells Blue Bunny plant is the likely cause of a fish kill in a small stream near Le Mars Iowa. Julie Sievers of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the dead fish were first reported early Thursday morning by a person who’d been on a bike path near the stream.
Sievers says officials from Wells Blue Bunny are investigating to find out where the ammonia may have come from.
Sievers says Wells Dairy has been asked to verify the source of the leak and confirm the release of ammonia has been stopped. State officials say children and pets should stay away from the creek for at least 24 hours. The creek, which is west of Le Mars, is near a ball park that’s south of Highway 3.
