CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO/TMX) - A creek in Wyandot County, Ohio, known as Poverty Run, turned a startling shade of red earlier this week after being contaminated by what officials say was excess hog manure used as fertilizer on a nearby field.

The discoloration was reported on Sunday, Aug. 10, prompting an immediate response from the Wyandot County Emergency Management Agency, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Investigators determined that the cause of the contamination was overapplication of hog waste fertilizer due to a mechanical malfunction in the spraying equipment. The manure entered a field’s drainage tile system and flowed directly into the creek.

The affected area stretches from Poverty Run Road in the north to Ohio 1

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