The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is continuing to investigate an incident that occurred in a stormwater drainage ditch in Jefferson.

According to the DNR, a caller contacted them after murky water was found in a stormwater drainage ditch in Daubendiek Park in Jefferson on March 26th. The caller said they saw a Sloan Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning and Septic vehicle dumping wastewater from its truck into a manhole at the north end of Kelso Park. DNR officials learned that 1,000 gallons of septic waste was unknowingly dumped into the storm sewer manhole instead of the wastewater collection system manhole.

According to the DNR, when Jefferson Public Works Department and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office contacted the business owner, Chad Sloan, he told them that he gave direction to one of his employees to dump the waste into the manhole that was at that location due to the normal dumpsite being blocked because of construction to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Jefferson City Administrator Scott Peterson says the Public Works Department removed 6,000 gallons of contaminated water out of the ditch after they built a berm to prevent the water from reaching the North Raccoon River. 

Peterson states that a contractor was also hired to transport the water to the Wastewater Treatment Plant to have it treated before the water was returned to the ditch. He confirms to Raccoon Valley Radio that Sloan will be billed for the time and materials that it took to clean up the ditch. Kristi Burg with the DNR tells Raccoon Valley Radio that violations are pending completion of their investigation, including the results from the water samples that were submitted and have yet to be returned from the State Hygienic Laboratory. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.