Oct. 26—FAIRVIEW, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is investigating a recent sludge spill from a Fairview-area lagoon involving a company that has come under the scrutiny of residents and officials in Newton and McDonald counties over the application of an odorous fertilizer product it applies to farmland.
The spill occurred about 2 p.m. Oct. 20 on Quince Road, southwest of Fairview.
The company, Denali Water Solutions of Russellville, Arkansas, said in a statement that the break occurred on a hose that was transporting liquid food processing residuals from a storage basin to a field. The substance was being spread as a fertilizer on cropland. Denali estimates that approximately 6,000 gallons of food processing residuals spilled onto the field from the hose break.
"These food processing residuals are non-hazardous byproducts of wastewater treatment from nearby food facilities," according to the statement. "The consistency of the material is similar to a milkshake. Because it contains significant amounts of nitrogen, it is a valuable soil amendment for farmers."
Samuel Liebl, director of communications for Denali, added that the state of Missouri regulates the spreading of food processing residuals on farmland, and "Denali is authorized at the site near Fairview to carry out the storage and application of the material."
Denali workers vacuumed up the spill with a pumper truck. Denali team members and contractors removed the affected soil from the road, and lime was applied. Denali and its contractors arranged for gravel to be delivered and spread on Quince Road on Saturday morning.
Brooks McNeill, an environmental specialist with the DNR who is gathering information about it, said the spilled material ran onto Quince Road and into a ditch. Denali workers at the site started cleanup operations there, and the company reported the spill to the DNR's environmental emergency response spill line and the DNR's Southwest Regional Office in Springfield. By the next morning, the spilled material had been removed and the road and ditch had been cleaned, McNeill said.
Asked if Denali holds a permit to operate the lagoon, McNeill said the company is in the process of obtaining a Missouri state operating permit for it. The permit is required under the Missouri Clean Water Law and Missouri Clean Water Commission Regulations, McNeill said.
In the meantime, the company is operating under an enforcement document issued by the DNR that addresses regulatory requirements, McNeill said.