Diary of a Mad Black River

Millions of gallons of liquid cow manure flow into N.Y. river

At some point last week -- nobody's quite sure when -- one wall of an earthen reservoir on one of New York state's biggest dairy farms collapsed, releasing some 3 million gallons of liquid cow manure into the Black River. "That stinks," noted observant 15-year-old New Yorker Dustan Wisner. But the stink is the least of the problems: The river is now clogged with bloated, dead fish. "It's the biggest fish kill I've ever seen," said regional fisheries manager Frank Flack. "Before it's all done, it could end up to be millions of fish." That's bad news for a region dependent on tourism and a river beloved by recreational anglers. The Adirondack community of Watertown hasn't canceled its upcoming national kayak championship (uh, dudes?), but they have cut off intake of drinking water from the river. The manager of poopy polluter Marks Farm had only this to say: "I'm too busy cleaning up the mess to talk now."