EPA Report: Algae Killed Fish
Washington, PA Observer-Reporter
3 Decmeber 2009
By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer
niedbala@observer-reporter.com
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in a preliminary report
issued Wednesday, confirmed earlier findings that toxins created by a
bloom of golden algae was responsible for the fish kill in September in
Dunkard Creek.
The EPA also said its investigation indicates that high levels of total
dissolved solids in the water, largely from mine water discharges,
created favorable conditions in which the algae could bloom.
EPA also released results Wednesday for water sampling that was
conducted on a dozen streams in Greene and Fayette counties on Nov. 18.
The tests indicate the presence of golden algae in only one additional
stream, Whiteley Creek, EPA spokesman David Sternberg said.
The algae has not resulted in a fish kill in Whiteley Creek. Though no
specific reason was cited, Sternberg said numerous factors play into
the algae's toxicity, including TDS levels, nutrients, water
temperature and the concentration of the algae itself.
High levels of TDS had been found in Whiteley Creek as measured by the
waters' conductivity. The levels were not as high as those that were
found in Dunkard Creek during the fish kill, the state Department of
Environmental Protection said.
The fish kill, which was first reported Sept. 1, affected about a
43-mile section of Dunkard Creek, the study said. It killed fish,
salamanders and mussels in the stream.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection earlier
identified golden algae as the cause of the kill. EPA confirmed those
findings.
A "substantial bloom" of golden algae, Prymnesium parvum, normally
found in saltwater, was present in the stream at the time of the kill,
the study said. The algae produces a toxin that affects gill-breathing
organisms but is not toxic to humans, waterfowl or livestock.
The elevated levels of TDS and chloride, a component of TDS, that were
found in the creek likely created favorable conditions for the algae to
grow and produce the toxins, the report said.
"The algae is not known to grow or produce toxins at the natural levels
of TDS in Dunkard Creek," the report stated. The higher levels of TDS
and chloride found in the creek are believed to have come from mine
discharges, Sternberg said.
The report noted the agency does not know where the algae originated,
though it said the organism can be spread by birds, fishermen or
industrial equipment.
Its presence in Dunkard Creek could serve as a source of the organism
for other freshwater bodies in the region, EPA said. Any stream with
high levels of TDS could be at risk for an algae bloom and an
associated fish kill, the report said.
Golden algae is difficult to eradicate. Two methods of controlling
blooms, algaecides and nutrient additives, could lead to other
problems. The best solution to control the blooms, the report states,
is to control the TDS.
The EPA and other state and federal agencies are expected to present
updates on the investigation of the fish kill at a meeting at 4 p.m.
today in Mt. Morris Gospel Tabernacle.