Manure cleanup is under way in Lyons

Crews run suction equipment to clean a spill in a Lyons, Ohio, ditch known as Little Bear Creek.
THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Buy This Photo

LYONS, Ohio - A cleanup of a manure spill is under way in a ditch known as Little Bear Creek a few miles south of here.

The liquid manure came from a lagoon on the property of Chesterfield Dairy LLC, said Brett Kolb, the director of the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.

Crews with suction equipment worked Friday to remove it near the intersection of County Roads 10 and S. They also built a dike just west of Road 10 to keep it from spreading farther.

In addition to Mr. Kolb, representatives of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources were at the scene.

The spill was discovered Thursday evening by a resident of the rural area who called the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

Mr. Kolb said as soon as he was informed, he notified the Ohio EPA and went to the scene. "It was dark, and we really couldn't tell where it was coming from."

Mr. Kolb said the pollution extended through four miles of the ditch, which normally is about shin-deep with water. He said it posed a hazard to fish and other wildlife, but not to drinking water. Karel Van de Kolk, the dairy's owner, could not be reached for comment last night.