Southern Idaho dairy eyed after residents discover tainted water

State officials are investigating claims that a south-central Idaho dairy pumped manure into a canal and tests are being conducted on water coming from faucets in nearby homes where residents are complaining the water is discolored and has a bad odor.

Lynn Harmon of the Big Wood Canal Company in Shoshone tells The Times-News in a story on Saturday that 4 Bros. Dairy intentionally pumped material from the 10,000-cow dairy into the canal.

The South Central Public Health Department on Wednesday ordered homes within a 20-mile radius of the dairy to boil water

Dairy owner Andrew Fitzgerald didn’t return a call from the newspaper.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency are investigating.

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Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com