The site and odor of “dead fish everywhere” at a small Mobile lake drew condemnation from Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson on Tuesday about a lack of public notification by county and state agencies.
Officials spent a better part of Tuesday investigating the rash of dead fish floating in Day Lake at Tricentennial Park. Mobile Baykeeper, a non-profit environmental advocacy group, also showed up to test the lake’s waters to ensure that no hazardous chemicals caused the fish kills. In the end, officials chalked it up to a natural phenomenon.
But Richardson, during and after the City Council’s meeting, called out the Mobile County Health Department for not issuing a prompt public notice warning the public against fishing in the lake.
“I notified the Health Department and they concluded that this was an (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) issue and I take issue with that,” said Richardson. “I expected more out of the Health Department.”
Richardson said that during storm sewer overflows that occur in waterways around the city, the Health Department will issue public advisories that are often picked up by local media outlets and are publicized.
He said in the case of the dead fish at Day Lake, he had hoped either the Health Department or another governmental agency would have posted signage warning the public about fishing.
He said that the Health Department, which is based in downtown Mobile, should’ve taken the lead.
“I don’t believe we need ADEM to print signs,” he said. “You might not be able to say exactly what is wrong with the water, but I believe it is the purpose of the Health Department is to protect the citizens of Mobile. If it’s a possibility that you can catch the fish and cook it and eat it and it can harm your in any way, I believe a sign should be put up saying ‘Don’t fish in the lake.’”
Mark Bryant, spokesman for the Mobile County Health Department, said the department alerts residents when there are sanitary sewer overflows and swimming advisories affect the public’s drinking water.
“In regards to the fish kill reported at Day Lake inside Tricentennial Park, this is not the issue,” said Bryant.
Dr. Bernard Eichold, the county’s Health Officer, reached out to Richardson concerning the issue and confirmed that there was no sewage overflows into the lake that might have led to the fish kills.
He likened the fish kills to a jubilee that occurs on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay near Daphne and Fairhope. Those rare events occur during summer months and during rising tides when oxygen-poor waters force fish and crustaceans ashore.
Dead fish floating in Day Lake in Mobile, Ala., on Monday, Oct. 22, 2019. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).
“The recent heavy rains probably transported natural organic materials that has been accumulating in the watershed during the extended drought,” said Eichold in a memo to Richardson. “This has probably depleted available oxygen levels in the lake and resulted in some species of fish dying while turtles, etc., appear to be doing fine.”
Lynn Battle, a spokeswoman with ADEM, said that her department’s investigators found no signs of chemical spills or pollutants. She said a change in temperatures is likely to blame.
“Basically, it appears the incident was caused by natural conditions,” Battle said.
Cade Kistler, program director with Mobile Baykeeper, also said the fish kills were related to a “not uncommon” natural event that occurs in ponds that “do not have a natural flow to mix oxygen into the lake.”
“It is possible low oxygen levels in the lake could have been the result of too much fertilizer running into the lake or from cold temperatures causing ‘pond turnover,’” said Kistler. “It appears the oxygen levels have already rebounded from any extreme low dissolved oxygen event.”
Kistler said he is appreciative of Richardson bringing up the issue for a public conversation.
He said the concerns about the lake illustrated a need for state or county agencies to better communicate environmental concerns in a quicker fashion via social media or other avenues.
“These agencies, as hard as they work and as many excellent employees as they have, have to be better communicators,” said Kistler. “It has to be part of a plan to communicate about these issues. People are worried about health and property values and well-being.”
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October 23, 2019 at 08:44AM
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‘Dead fish everywhere’ raises alarms in Mobile - AL.com
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