Cause still unknown in Elk Grove Village fish kill
No official explanation was provided Sunday for the hundreds of fish that turned up dead in an Elk Grove Village lake over the weekend.
Circumstantial evidence seems to be pointing to oxygen deprivation related to the freezing over the lake.
The fish were found belly up on Lake Pita on Saturday, and seemed to be the main course for sea gulls who feasted on the remains that floated to the surface.
"It's a phenomenon related to weather conditions and the lack of oxygen. We see similar things in the summer, because of the heat and climatological conditions, (when) there is reduced oxygen. Apparently, there is something similar in the winter, when they are deprived of some level of oxygen and it causes a fish kill," said Maggie Carson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Stacey Solano, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said this is the third or fourth complaint the department has received about dead fish in the Chicago area.
"From what I have been told, this is fairly common at this time of year, whenever these ponds and other areas are covered with ice for so long over the winter that it deprives some of the fish of oxygen. So whenever that ice starts melting, you're going to start seeing some dead fish," she said.
IDNR spokesman Christopher McCloud said the fish had probably been dead for quite a while, but now that the ice has melted, they're floating to the surface.
"We don't believe it's any kind of chemical spill," McCloud added. "Just a natural occurrence. It happens all the time, and our biologists were aware of it."
DNR is one of three state agencies that deal with fish kills. The others are the IEPA and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Carson said there is no reason to believe there is a health concern for residents.
"If there were some concern about the health and well being of residents, the IEPA, DNR or possibly the health department would have been involved in letting them know. It doesn't appear to be anything that would affect the public in any way," she said.
Nevertheless, officials are advising the public not to eat any of the fish found floating on top of the water or anywhere around the shore.
Elk Grove Trustee Christine Prochno said the matter is not within the village's jurisdiction, but she spoke to the village manager about it. He told her that if the homeowners association contacts the village, the health department would be willing to get involved and conduct tests.
Janeen Noto, who lives near Lake Pita, said she saw things floating in there this weekend.
"We thought maybe they were turtles. So I went back there with my rain boots and I looked, and they were all dead fish," she said.
Noto said she is not concerned about any health hazard, but admits to being slightly alarmed at first.
Elk Grove Village resident Ann Olson said her son has fished on Lake Pita, which is near Wellington Avenue and Leicester Road.
"I was a little skeptical," she said. "Unless those lakes are awfully shallow, I don't think (the fish are) oxygen deprived. If I were living over there close to it, I would certainly want the waters tested."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=277532">Harsh winter takes toll on fish in small lakes <span class="date">[3/8/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>