Port St. Lucie residents reported a massive fish kill in a tributary of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
“Thousands” of fish, including carp and other large species, have been cleaned out of the Elkcam Waterway, residents told TCPalm, which is awaiting public records requested from the city to independently verify that information.
“I’ve lived in this same house for 40-plus years,” Southeast Whitmore Drive resident Marcia Gillings told TCPalm on June 20. “Every year, they spray for invasive weeds and mosquitoes, but I’ve never seen fish die like I did the last day and a half.”
Aquatic Vegetation Control Inc. told TCPalm the city contracts it to maintain the canal. The Riviera Beach company confirmed it sprayed the canal on June 16 and collected the dead fish, but referred further questions to the city. TCPalm is waiting for city officials to answer its questions posted June 20.
Gillings, whose parrots live outside, is concerned about the neighborhood’s pets and people who live on wells, as well as the wild birds, fish and other animals. She wants to know what chemicals and quantities AVC sprayed, and she thinks the city should notify residents when they plan to spray.
So does resident Joshua White of Southeast Fallon Drive, but it appears that may not happen.
“The city told us they ‘are not sweeping this under the rug,’ but they will not be notifying residents along the canal about what took place. I think that they should. This could cause long-term health problems,” he told TCPalm. “The herbicide/chemical is considered safe when used as directed, but likely not safe at the levels it took to kill off all of these fish. The fish started dying on Tuesday and by Thursday early afternoon, there were thousands of them.”
Cheryl Smith is TCPalm’s environment editor. Contact her at cheryl.smith@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie residents report massive fish kill in North Fork of St. Lucie River tributary
Reporting by Cheryl Smith, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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