Thousands Of Fish Died In Middlesex Co. Lake Due To Main Break

MIDDLESEX BOROUGH, NJ — Last week's major water main break that resulted in a loss of tap water throughout Central New Jersey also indirectly killed thousands of fish in Lake Creighton in Middlesex borough, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Lake Creighton is located in Victor Crowell Park and is a popular fishing spot.

Last week, local public works crews removed thousands of dead fish from the lake, and haz-mat crews spent the weekend cleaning up. The water in Lake Creighton also turned a muddy brown.

The break occurred in a transmission line buried under Possumtown Road in Piscataway last Monday, Aug. 2. That line — and all of the water lines in Central New Jersey — are owned and maintained by New Jersey American Water.

The water main break caused drinking water to enter and overwhelm the sewer system in Middlesex borough, resulting in wastewater being pushed through manholes in the area. This wastewater included not only raw sewage, but also chemicals from the Spray-Tek facility in Middlesex.

These chemicals had been legally discharged by Spray-Tek, however the overflow of water drained into Ambrose Creek and Lake Creighton, said DEP spokesman Larry Hajna.

Foaming could be seen on the water's surface on both Ambrose Creek and Creighton Lake, he said.

Both the sewage and chemicals are suspected to have killed thousands of fish in the lake last Friday.

Middlesex Mayor John Madden told NJ.com on Friday he was sure the water main break was what caused the massive fish die-off.

“I know what an ecological disaster this is,” Madden told NJ.com last week. “Every type of aquatic life died, thousands and thousands of fish. I’m very upset about this, the residents are upset. The sooner we get this rectified, the happier I’ll be but I’m not making very good progress.”

According to the Department of Environmental Protection, Spray-Tek hired a contractor to conduct cleanup activities, which are expected to take several days. New Jersey American is also working with Spray-Tek.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Middlesex County Haz Mat are overseeing the cleanup.

The water main break caused residents in the following towns to lose tap water last week. Residents were told to boil their water for several days:

Report last week: Many Central Jersey Towns Remain Under Boil-Water Advisory (Aug. 3)

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