Chartiers Creek investigated after ‘significant fish kill’
Pennsylvania officials are investigating a “significant fish kill” along a 7-mile stretch of Chartiers Creek that has left hundreds if not thousands of suckers, carp, minnows and crayfish dead.
The cause of the kill is unknown,Mike Parker, spokesman for the state’s Fish and Boat Commission, which is investigating along with the Department of Environmental Protection, said Saturday afternoon.
Pollutants or contamination could be a factor, he said — as could “Mother Nature.”
Fish kills are not uncommon in the summer, Mr. Parker said, when natural fluctuations in water temperature can wreak havoc on sensitive fish populations. The sun heats the water, rainstorms cool it down and then the sun heats it again.
“It can be very shocking to see large numbers of dead fish,” Mr. Parker said. “It happens quite often.”
The commission learned of problems Thursday when it received a report of dead fish in
Chartiers Creek.
Conservation officers were dispatched that evening and Friday. They found dead fish on banks and floating in the creek.
The officers pinpointed the fish kill to a roughly 7-mile long area from around the Valley Brook Country Club in Peters to 7 miles downstream.
“There wasn’t any obvious source of pollution,” such as a chemical odor or a sheen on the water, Mr. Parker said.
Investigators will try to determine
the cause of the kill. If evidence points to an individual or entity being responsible, the incident could lead to charges or a settlement in which the state would seek restitution for the environmental damage.
The population of fish affected in Chartiers Creek tends to be resilient species that can bounce back quickly from kills, Mr. Parker said.