Iowa AG Bird’s office settles two high profile environmental cases
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Iowa AG Bird’s office settles two high profile environmental cases
Two high-profile environmental cases have been settled by the office of Iowa’s Attorney General Brenna Bird. Both cases involved violations to Iowa waterways for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the first case settled, has agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty. NEW Co-op agreed to a settlement related to the March 2024 ammonia nitrogen release that led to a significant fish kill in the Nishnabotna River. The kill spanned 48 miles of the river and flowed into the Missouri River.. The settlement also includes a three-year statewide injunction prohibiting future violations of Iowa’s water quality laws.
Two high-profile environmental cases have been settled by the office of Iowa’s Attorney General Brenna Bird.
Both cases involved violations to Iowa waterways for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the first case settled, has agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and come into full compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit by Dec. 31, 2026.
“Over the course of several years, Agri Star exceeded permitted wastewater limits approximately 60 times,” the statement from the Attorney General’s Office said.
Agri Star failed to timely report outages, failures and daily maximum violations, meet compliance schedules, conduct required monitoring and submit reports, the statement said.
In February 2025, the Driftless Water Defenders, a citizen group that works to protect groundwater in Northeast Iowa, announced that they are suing the Postville plant over wastewater violations. In the lawsuit, the group sought for the facility’s compliance and fines over the discharge.
In the past four and a half years, the Iowa DNR noted more than 50 violations of the conditions of Agri Star’s wastewater permit, according to previous reporting by The Gazette.
Those were tied to excessive pollution of ammonia, copper, chloride, suspended waste particles and others.
Per the statement from Bird’s office, the most recent ammonia violations from the plant resulted in acutely toxic concentrations in Hecker Creek, which flows near the Postville plant in Allamakee County.
The other settled case involves the NEW Cooperative’s Red Oak facility site in southwest Iowa.
The NEW Co-op agreed to a settlement related to the March 2024 ammonia nitrogen release that led to a significant fish kill in the Nishnabotna River. The kill spanned 48 miles of the river and flowed into the Missouri River.
The NEW Cooperative in Red Oak spilled about 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Department of Natural Resources) Buy Photo
According to prior Gazette coverage, the spill killed nearly all fish and aquatic life for about 60 miles of the river. The fish death toll was estimated to be about 800,000 fish.
Under the settlement, NEW Co-op will pay a $50,000 penalty, pay $50,000 toward a supplemental environmental project with the Montgomery County Conservation Board, and agree to a three-year statewide injunction prohibiting future violations of Iowa’s water quality laws.
Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. She is also a contributing writer for the Ag and Water Desk, an independent journalism collaborative focusing on the Mississippi River Basin.
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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com