Bloomingdale park officials say weather killed fish
Bloomingdale Park District crews still were cleaning up Monday a slew of dead fish found washed ashore at a pond near Westlake Park.
Park officials said they believe the Friday incident was caused by temperature changes caused when cold rain hit the warm water in the shallow lake.
"This likely led to low oxygen levels, and, therefore, the fish dying," spokesman Josh Hendricks said.
He said it's unknown exactly how many fish were killed. Bloomingdale police said their investigation shows no signs of any criminal activity.
The village's water department tested the pond for chemicals and officials said results are pending. But Hendricks said this is a precaution, as pesticides and other chemicals have never been used at Westlake Park.
The park district also is taking precautions by boarding several swans who live in the lake.
The incident occurred at roughly the same time as the discovery of hundreds of dead fish in Chicago's Garfield Park lagoon. Officials from the Chicago Park District and Illinois Department of Nature Resources also suggested the Garfield Park incident might have been caused by similar temperature changes.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=393216">Dead fish discovered in Bloomingdale lake <span class="date">[7/11/10]</span></a></li>
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