Dairy Plant Spill Blamed for Fish Kill in Alabama

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fish_kill
(Judson Garner/WBRC)

Environmental officials say a waste water spill at a dairy plant in suburban Birmingham, Ala. is to blame for a fish kill.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management says the spill resulted in low oxygen levels near a creek in Homewood where Dean Foods operates Barber's Dairy. About 200 fish were found dead.

WBRC-TV reports that the company says the 100-gallon spill happened Monday morning and was detected and corrected early during a routine inspection.

State environmental agency spokesman Jerome Hand says the waste water that spilled is a byproduct of making milk and ice cream. He says it was vacuumed out of the creek.

Dave Butler of Cahaba Riverkeeper says Barber Dairy has had at least three other spills into the creek this year.

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