Kilby Farm manure runoff kills 11,000 fish in Maryland
Maryland’s Department of the Environment said the fish deaths occurred in Basin Run, a stream near Kilby Farm on Firetower Road in Colora. The agency attributed the incident to manure runoff from the dairy operation. The affected fish represented 25 species.
The state has filed a lawsuit alleging repeated manure and pollution discharges into the waterway. It is also seeking a civil-contempt ruling against Hartland Holdings LLC, which owns and operates the farm, for allegedly breaching a 2025 settlement and a court order prohibiting pollution discharges.
Adam Ortiz, the department’s deputy secretary, said the operator had not complied with the rules. “Unfortunately, he's not following the rules, and the stream, and importantly, the community is paying the price,” he told CBS Baltimore.
According to the department, the owners took control of the property in 2017 and substantially expanded the cattle herd by 2021. The agency alleges that the resulting waste was not managed properly and entered Basin Run. A court has already issued a preliminary injunction barring the facility from discharging pollution into the waterway.
“These violations are unacceptable,” the department said in a statement to CBS Baltimore, adding that it had asked the judge to hold the operator in contempt. Mr Ortiz said further punitive action could follow if the operator failed to comply: “The count is 0-2. You got to get it right this time. Otherwise, more punitive actions can take place.”
Officials said continued pollution could affect other waterways, including the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay. Residents described longer-term changes in Basin Run. John Woodrow, who has lived beside the stream for 70 years, said the water had deteriorated over roughly five years, with more weeds and algae, fewer fish and reduced clarity. Ashley Bowley, another local resident, said concern for the stream should not depend on living nearby or using its well water.
The farm’s owners reportedly declined to comment to CBS Baltimore; the broadcaster said it had also contacted their lawyers and was awaiting a response. A settlement conference is scheduled in Cecil County Circuit Court for April 2027.
