MASON CITY – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Golden Grain Energy have reached an agreement on a penalty for a fish kill caused by the company in August of 2012.
A consent order is issued as an alternative to issuing an administrative order. A consent order indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party.
Golden Grain Energy, LLC, Mason City has agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty and $650 in wildlife restitution for past discharges at the facility. Golden Grain also agrees to implement facility-wide environmental management system.
A discharge of iron-laden cooling water and resulting fish kill was investigated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Cheslea Creek on the south side of Mason City in August of 2012.
The DNR responded to a report that water in Cheslea Creek was orange. The orange discharge was traced back to a tile outfall where the Golden Grain Energy facility is allowed to release cooling water from the process.
The fish killed were smaller, minnow species and no sport fish were found.
