Landed in Ct. tonight. On my way to the hotel, I heard on the news that the biggest fishkill in Ct history is currently going on. The news didn't say when it began, and didn't indicate a cause.

Has anyone heard anything?

Couldn't find anything on a search..

-- Duke1983 (Duke1983@aol.com), January 09, 2000

Answers

I don't know about CT, but a fish hatchery in Oregon lost 1.3 million baby salmon. (See my thread above.) BTW, we posted at the same time but the events are taking or took place in different states...twilight zone?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 09, 2000.

To the best of my knowledge, fishkills are common in hot summer months due to oxygen depletion, fertilizer run-off and nutrient deprivation. I have never heard of such a fish kill at this time of the year due to anything other than an introduced toxicity such as a chemical spill.

Paul Milne

Clinton: "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky"

bks: "It was not overt lying. It was overgeneralization for rhetorical purposes."

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), January 09, 2000.

Here's a link from the Hartford Courant re. the fish kill at Lake Pocotopaug, East Hampton, CT.

http://www.ctnow.com/scripts/editorial.dll?fromspage=CG/articles/state .htm&categoryid=&bfromind=557&eeid=1356338&eetype=article&render=y&ck= &ver=hb1.2.20

-- John Eaton (jeaton@mindspring.com), January 09, 2000.

Let's try that link again, shall we?

Lake Pocotopaug, CT, fish kill

-- John Eaton (jeaton@mindspring.com), January 10, 2000.

Link

This should work.

-- John Eaton (jeaton@mindspring.com), January 10, 2000.

These also a report of a large fish kill in Florida

Link to story

http://eoco2.ctcfl.com/welcome.nsf?Open

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 10, 2000.

An Environmental Mystery

By BILL DALEY
The Hartford Courant
January 08, 2000

EAST HAMPTON - Thousands of fish have suddenly died in Lake Pocotopaug and state environmental officials don't know why. The fish kill, which has affected every species and every size of fish in the 510-acre lake, is unprecedented in Connecticut, David Leff, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Friday.

White perch has been the hardest- hit species, but state officials say that's because the perch population is the largest. Other species killed include small-mouth bass and sunfish.

DEP officials are seeking help from their federal colleagues at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

``We're looking for input from anyone who may have experience with this,'' Leff said. ``It remains a mystery.''

Water samples have been collected from the lake and its tributaries to test for pollutants or a natural cause, such as algae, bacteria or a parasite. DEP experts say water temperatures have been taken, dissolved oxygen levels charted and pH tests done.

To have a fish kill in winter puzzles DEP experts, some of whom gathered for a lakeside press conference Friday morning.

``Fish kills typically occur in the spring and summer, as fish become stressed during spawning or hot weather,'' said Bill Hyatt, supervisor of the DEP's inland fisheries division. ``Present conditions in Lake Pocotopaug include cool, well-oxygenated water, which should be ideal for fish survival.''

For years, Lake Pocotopaug has been bothered by an unsightly algae bloom during the summer, when water temperatures rise and dissolved oxygen levels are at their lowest. Still, last summer's bloom was relatively slight.

DEP officials don't think the blue- green algae that causes the bloom is a factor in the fish kill, but they are looking to see if some sort of toxin given off by another algae could be the culprit.

An infectious disease could be at play, but Leff said diseases typically affect only one or two species of fish. There's been no sign of die-off among the seagulls who fish the waters or among the mammals who live near the banks, he said.

Leff said there's no reason to believe some pollution discharge is responsible for killing the fish.

Fish have been collected for study by pathologists. Leff said the only unusual signs have been mucus and irritation in the gill tissues of the fish.

Test results are expected early next week.

While the bodies of dead fish have been washing up on the shore, thousands of live fish have been clustering around the mouths of the lake's various tributaries - trying to swim away.

``They want to get out,'' Leff said. ``Something in the lake is a problem for them.''

In fact, it was the sight of thousands of fish trying to enter one of the streams that prompted a local resident to call the DEP Dec. 26. Hyatt said an agency official visited the lake and looked at the fish, but nothing else unusual was noted.

On Dec. 31, though, Hyatt said residents called the DEP to report dead and dying fish at a tributary on the northwestern side and at a dam on the south shore.

Donna Jenks, who lives on Meeks Point Road, said she found dead fish floating under her dock.

``This scares me,'' she said. ``My family uses the lake all the time for water sports. Hopefully, they'll find out what's causing this before spring arrives.''

Residents Take Stock of Baffling Fish Kill

By Julie HA
The Hartford Courant
January 9, 2000

[snip]

Early results done from tests Friday seemed to indicate the cause was not a bacterial infection or parasite, Leff said Saturday.

[snip]

*****************

About the Florida link Carl gave, the site seems to be restricted to EM members only.

"*Please Note! Registration is limited to Florida EM Managers only! Local EM affiliates must receive access permission from their local county EOC."

-- (helping@lurkers.com), January 10, 2000.

Something similar happened in Indian recently. Local officials suspect a chemical spill from an auto parts manufacturer in Anderson, IN, but the company denies any wrongdoing. Here's the address of one of the Indianapolis Star's stories, followed by excerpts: http://www.starnews.com/news/citystate/2000/jan/0109st_fish.html

By David Rohn The Indianapolis Star INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 9, 2000) -- Ring-billed gulls hover over White River in search of dead fish that have not yet been hauled off to landfills. They are about as numerous as questions surfacing over what caused one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of the river and threatened the city's water supply.

Nearly a month after an industrial chemical virtually wiped out the Anderson wastewater treatment plant's ability to turn sewage into water safe for the river, state officials continue their investigation. They believe the problem was caused by Guide Corp., an Anderson auto parts manufacturer. Guide officials, however, deny any wrongdoing. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management [IDEM] also is looking at how the Anderson wastewater treatment plant handled the crisis. But the investigators are themselves being investigated.

Lawmakers, environmental groups and average citizens have questioned how IDEM, the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies responded. Did they act fast enough? Did they provide adequate disclosure of information? Did Christmas or the New Year's holidays affect their efforts? Were they distracted by Y2K concerns?

At the heart of all of the investigations is: What happened, and when did it happen?

There also are many things that public and corporate officials refuse to discuss because of potential lawsuits, regulatory penalties and ongoing investigations.

This is known:

Wednesday, Dec. 8 -- An Indianapolis Water Co. technician discovers elevated ammonia levels near the Muncie wastewater treatment facility not far from where the west fork of White River originates. ...it forced the water utility to increase chlorination of its water. That chlorination protected city water when undetected carbon disulfide and high ammonia levels from Anderson reached the utility's intake valves weeks later.

Sunday, Dec. 12 -- The utility nearly triples the amount of chlorine used to treat drinking water in response to the Muncie contamination.

Monday, Dec. 13 -- Anderson treatment plant workers don't need test results to know something is awry. The odor of fish and reddish coloration to sewage tells them trouble is brewing.

Thursday, Dec. 16 -- At 3 p.m. Anderson police notify DNR conservation officer John R. Gano, saying dead fish have been spotted on the west side of Anderson. He finds 20 dead carp, minnows and other fish but finds few dead game fish and no more dead fish to the south.

Sunday, Dec. 19 -- DNR monitors the river and counts 2,000 dead fish. Guide Corp., learning of the fish kills, stops discharging from its plant into the Anderson treatment facility three miles away.

Monday, Dec. 20 -- At 10 a.m. Gano calls DNR headquarters and reports a major fish kill on White River. Ammonia levels are about 50 times higher than normal at Anderson -- levels approaching what is found in raw sewage. A newspaper reporter, inquiring about complaints from readers about dead fish, is told by IDEM and DNR that they have no indication of harmful contaminants being discharged into the river.

DNR begins a fish-kill count over a 34-mile stretch of White River between Anderson and 131st Street in Hamilton County. It will take three days to complete.

Thursday, Dec. 23 -- DNR officers complete the fish count. They find more than 80,000 dead fish between Anderson and 131st Street. They suspect there are far more dead fish below the icy surface. Unlike most fish kills, this one seems to be affecting all species of fish.

Sunday, Dec. 27 -- Fish kills reach Broad Ripple and carbon disulfide increases in the Indianapolis Water Co. Canal. IDEM officials tell reporters they are pretty certain they know what is causing fish kills but don't want to comment until they get lab tests back. They say there is no imminent danger to public health.

Tuesday, Dec. 28 -- With ring-billed gulls eating dead fish in the background, Kaplan, the environment commissioner, tells news media that the chemical suspected of causing the contamination is dimethyldithiocarbamate. Hamilton County Health Department officials complain they didn't learn of the river contamination until reporters started calling them. Larry Macklin, director of DNR, describes the contamination as a "massive destruction to the ecology of the river."

Thursday, Dec. 30 -- IDEM has a teleconference with local health departments. It contracts with private firms to remove dead fish from the river.

Friday, Dec. 31 -- Both IDEM and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency find healthy fish and other aquatic life between Anderson and Hamilton County. The water utility's public relations department fields numerous concerns from the public, including beliefs that the river contamination is part of a biblical millennium prophesy, a militia plot or a government conspiracy designed to look like a militia plot.

Saturday, Jan. 1 -- Live fish and small river creatures found between Anderson and Indianapolis suggest that the river is not likely to become sterile, as some had feared. Environmental groups hold a news conference [and] criticize state officials for being slow to respond to the crisis and for not promptly disclosing information to the public or local health agencies. An IDEM spokesman says a more forceful response would have "raised the danger of crying wolf when there was no wolf to cry about."

Wednesday, Jan. 5 -- Ammonia levels have dropped below the Anderson plant's permit levels for the first time since mid-December. A DNR spokesman says 52,000 pounds of dead fish has been removed from the river and hauled to landfills. He voices optimism that most of the fish kills are over.

Thursday, Jan. 6 -- Treatment plant operators notice foam at the treatment plant, an indication that ammonia level are rising again from an unknown source.

-- gary Lynch (garyl@iol32.com), January 11, 2000.