Algae That Killed Dunkard Creek Fish Found in Cabin Creek
Charleston Gazette
2 December 2009
By Ken Ward Jr., Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia officials have found high levels of
an exotic algae blamed for a huge Monongalia County fish kill in Cabin
Creek in Kanawha County, according to water quality data made public
Wednesday.
The state Department of Environmental Protection posted the data on its
Web site, and said it plans to keep a close eye on the golden algae in
Cabin Creek.
"Clearly, the high numbers do create a level of concern," said DEP
spokeswoman Kathy Cosco. "And clearly, monitoring of Cabin Creek is
something that is on our radar now."
DEP released its October sampling of more than three dozen streams for
the golden algae the same day that the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency disclosed a preliminary report on the huge fish kill that left
Dunkard Creek along the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border lifeless.
EPA officials agreed with previous DEP assessments blaming the fish
kill on the golden algae. The 17-page EPA report did not explain how
the algae, found mostly in brackish waters in the south and
southwestern U.S., got into Dunkard Creek in the first place.
But the report said that long-standing pollution violations related to
coal-mining discharges in the area created water quality problems --
high conductivity that is a sign of increased solids such as chlorides
-- created an environment that allowed the algae to thrive and turn
toxic to fish, salamanders and other aquatic life.
In its report, EPA noted that federal officials in late September
approved a DEP cleanup plan meant to deal with longstanding pollution
problems in Dunkard Creek. But EPA said the fish kill indicates that
additional steps may need to be taken.
Dunkard Creek is among a number of West Virginia streams where water
quality is stressed by "ionic toxicity," or high electrical
conductivity caused by increased levels of solids such as chlorides. In
recent years, DEP has declined to include pollution reductions aimed at
those problems in cleanup plans for those streams.
A Cabin Creek cleanup plan, approved in 2004, noted that two
tributaries face such problems, but did not include any steps to deal
with them.
The DEP data released Wednesday showed that Cabin Creek had golden
algae levels of more than 135,000 colonies per milliliter. That's not
as high as were found in some parts of Dunkard Creek, but higher than
the 50,000 colonies per milliliter that DEP officials have said would
concern them.
Four other streams also showed much lower levels of golden algae,
according to the DEP data. They were Short Creek of the Ohio River and
three tributaries of the West Fork: Tenmile, Simpson and Elk creeks.
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.