Mystery Of Cedar Park Pond Fish Kill Deepens

CEDAR PARK, TX — Debate continues in the community as to whether algae is the culprit behind a recent mass fish kill at a Cedar Pond park.

A company hired by a neighborhood homeowners association to remove algae in the pond did so, but in the process dropped the oxygen levels in the water precipitously as to cause the fish to die, KVUE reported. According to the report, hundreds if not thousands of fish died asa result of the lowered oxygen levels.

The company has since removed the dead fish and has offered to re-stock the pond with new fish, the station reported. The news station published exchanges between the HOA president and a concerned resident, with the former saying the company involved in the algae removal took full responsibility "...with no prompting from the HOA," adding: "Frankly, it's the model of how you're supposed to do customer service."

The resident responded the problem is "...bigger than just a customer service issue," adding contamination in the water was the likely culprit for the fish dying en masse. The HOA president insisted the treatment chemical is not the problem, referencing the assessment of a biologist.

"Rather, the algae decomposing burns up the oxygen in the water making the water to low on oxygen to support the fish," the HOA president insisted. "The chemical isn't directly killing them. The same thing happens in nature all the time when algae blooms out of control and consumes all the oxygen in the water."

The mystery of the dead fish might never be fully solved. Residents are hoping the new batch of fish won't be sent to their deaths in arriving to the Cedar Park pond.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife agency has what's known as a "Kills and Spills Team," that investigates fish and wildlife kills resulting from pollution and natural events. Composed of a team of biologists, the KAST team also is trained to asses the impacts to fish and wildlife resource and to determine the causes of events, officials said on their website.

If you see a fish or wildlife kill or suspect a pollution event call (512) 389-4848 or (281) 842-8100, or contact your regional Kills and Spills Team biologist. "Prompt notification is key to a successful investigation," officials wrote. "The sooner we arrive, the better the chances that our biologists will be able to collect useful evidence."

>>> See the full story at KVUE

Image via Texas Parks and Wildlife