UI Scientists: Body Should Blame Cattle, Not Geese, For Red Rock’s Pollution

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ attempt to blame geese for dangerous fecal bacteria in an Iowa tank distracts attention from the cattle manure runoff that is likely the cause, two experts from the field said Wednesday. University of Iowa water quality.

Water quality records kept by the Des Moines Water Works show a spike in E. coli bacteria last week in the Des Moines River above Red Rock Lake, the Iowa Capital Dispatch has discovered.

KCCI reported that Corps staff member Chelsea Tyler attributed an outbreak of fecal bacteria in Red Rock Lake to Canada geese and seagulls.

E. coli is high here right now and this is caused by the seagulls here and the feces moving around when they defecate on the beach and getting into the sediment and sand and moving around when there is a lot of traffic through that, ”Chelsea Tyler, natural resources specialist at Red Rock, told KCCI.

This caused an immediate setback from two University of Iowa water quality experts. Both said the Iowas need to recognize the role of pig and cattle manure in fouling the Iowas’ waterways.

I don’t understand how we can’t have more candid conversations, said David Cwiertny, director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination at Iowas University, in an interview. (UI Research Engineer) Chris Jones just spoke in his blog recently about the reluctance in Iowa to link our water quality issues to agriculture, though it’s hard to deny that’s the ‘one of the root causes,’ added Cwiertny.

Oh FFS! E. coli is high here right now and it’s caused by the seagulls here and the feces moving around when they defecate on the beach, said Chelsea Tyler, of the Red Rock Army Corps of Engineers. https://t.co/ybGtMrBts6

– David Cwiertny (@dcwiertny) July 21, 2021

Cwiertny said the large number of animal confinements in the Des Moines watershed means geese are unlikely to be the main source of the bacteria.

Jones agreed. In a tweet, he wrote that high-end estimates of the number of Canada geese in Iowa stand at around 100,000, and many of them are not resident. We have 25 million pigs, each of which is 10 times the mass of a goose, Jones wrote.

The day the pigs fly will be the day Ag stops blaming the geese (in other words, never), Jones wrote.

High-end estimates from Can. Populations of geese in AI are around 100,000, and many of them are non-resident. We have 25 million pigs, each of which is 10 times the mass of a goose.

The day the pigs fly, Ag will stop blaming the geese for their pollution. (in other words, never)

– Jonesingforthetruth (@RiverRaccoon) July 21, 2021

Cwiertny said there is often political pressure when someone links agricultural pollution to water quality issues. In a recent example, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that State Representative Chad Ingels of Randalia said he would reconsider UI funding and its support for tenure. The comment came after Jones and UI engineering professor Larry Weber commented in print and on television about the cattle manure runoff issues.

Cattle manure is routinely applied to cultivated fields in Iowa as manure. Bacteria in manure can drain off when it rains.

Data from the Des Moines Water Works website shows that over the past 10 days, levels of fecal bacteria in the Des Moines River in Des Moines were up to six times the health limit for swimming. This water flows downstream to Pella and Red Rock.

This was not the first time the Corps has blamed geese for fecal bacteria in its Saylorville, Rathbun, and Red Rock reservoirs. Saylorville is north of Des Moines, Rathbun near Moravia and Red Rock near Pella.

A 2020 US Army Corps of Engineers official suggested that geese regularly cause bacteria problems by using the tanks as a pit stop.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources checks state park beach swimming areas for fecal bacteria and toxic algae in the summer. The Corps is testing its own tanks.

The DNR website lists several sources of fecal bacteria. Fecal bacteria, and sometimes pathogens, are present in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, including humans. They are carried in the water with feces. Fecal contamination can occur from poorly constructed and operated septic systems and sewage treatment plants, manure spills, storm water runoff from land with wild animal droppings and animals, or direct contamination by waterfowl, livestock or young children in the water, reports the MRN.

Fecal bacteria are not necessarily a threat in themselves, but high levels usually mean a good chance that pathogens are present that can make people sick. Among the most common problems are diarrhea and rashes or infections, especially in the very old, the very young, and others with weakened immune systems.

There have been cases where the MNR has blamed the geese for the local pollution problems. After a swimmer fell ill in Clear Lake two decades ago, some officials initially blamed the geese for the high levels of E. coli. A 2001 study by Iowa State University said sources of bacterial pollution in the lake could include livestock manure, septic tanks, city sewage systems, and wildlife.

Scientists found that some of the biggest pollution came from agricultural fields northwest of the lake.

In some local situations, including George Wyth State Park, MNR has stated that geese are a major source of fecal bacteria on the beach.

University of Iowa graduate student Reid Simmer wrote a doctoral thesis in 2016 that found geese to be the main cause of bacterial contamination in Kent Park Lake.

The World Health Organization has reported that bird droppings pose less of a threat to human health than human sewage or livestock manure, Simmer found. Dogs and horses on the beaches were also a major source of pollution.

The Iowa Environmental Council noted that cattle in Iowa now produce waste equivalent to 134 million people.

Michael Schmidt, a lawyer for the association, gave a simple warning in a blog post last year: “If you are wondering if there is poo in the water, the answer is probably yes.

The question seems to be what kind of poop.

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