Sewage, chemicals, fuel contaminate waterways

he massive flooding in Iowa has caused a major environmental disaster, state inspectors said Monday.

For starters, excrement is everywhere. Raw sewage is flowing into rivers throughout central and eastern Iowa. Exposure to the wastes could give people intestinal illnesses, skin infections or worse. Hog and cattle manure also is rushing downstream.

Small chemical tanks are popping off their foundations, sending a potentially explosive threat down rivers. There also have been reports of runaway tanks and drums holding propane, gasoline and farm chemicals floating downstream, said Barbara Lynch, who supervises the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' regional environmental-protection offices.
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Her advice: Stay away from them. "They could blow up," she said.

The DNR also fears underground storage tanks may pop to the surface of floodwaters like fishing bobbers, and begin leaking fuel. Already, gas stations in Oakville and Columbus Junction are flooded.

Last week, a disaster was averted when the Iowa River dislodged a 500,000-gallon fuel oil tank at Alliant Energy's Sutherland Generating Station in Marshalltown. The tank, which held 7,000 gallons at the time, got caught on something in a containment area and never leaked, Stricker said.

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