Pennsylvania DEP: We're Not Sure Golden Algae Caused Fish Kill
WBOY-TV - Clarksburg, WV
2 October 2009
By Jessika Lewis
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection met with other
agencies investigating the fish kill in Dunkard Creek Wednesday.
However, after talking to representatives from the West Virginia DEP,
Environmental Protection Agency, and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission, the agency says it needs more data before it can fully say
that golden algae killed the fish.
The Pennsylvania DEP will meet with officials from CONSOL, the company
that owns the Blacksville Number One and Blacksville Number Two mines
that are along the creek, Friday to see what their data reveals,
according the Helen Humphreys, Public Relations for Pennsylvania's DEP.
West Virginia's DEP says Cabinet Secretary Randy Huffman met with
CONSOL officials on Monday, and that the energy company's scientists
agree that they've found golden algae in Dunkard Creek.
“Consol understands the significance of this event and is keenly aware
of the possible impact of their discharges in this watershed,” Huffman
says in a release from the DEP.
Speculations had arisen that an injection well for coalbed methane gas
wastewater at the Blacksville Number One mine may have raised the
chloride levels in the creek, which has exhibited a high level of total
dissolved solids.
CONSOL has agreed to discontinue injecting the water into a shaft
there, so investigators can see if the operation may have impacted
elevated discharges from the Blacksville Number Two outlet, the release
says.
DEP officials previously stated that there was a barrier between the
two mines, and acknowledged that it was possible that the barrier could
leak.
CONSOL had already agreed to shut off the discharge coming from the
Number Two mine.
While signs seem to be pointing to algae as the cause of the kill, it
is still unknown what caused the algae to grow.
Water samples taken in Dunkard Creek on September 24, 2009 showed the
presence of golden algae in amounts that have caused fish kills in
other areas, West Virginia's DEP says, and other water samples will go
to the University of Oklahoma for testing.
That university will attempt to grow the algae in its lab, and, if it
is successful, will see if the algae is similar to strains that have
been found in Texas.
From there, the West Virginia DEP hopes to find out how to control or
elminate the algae.
The agency is also still waiting for test results to come back on
samples taken of fish liver, gills, and kidneys to test for toxins.