Fish killed by spill in Shoal Creek pile up at dam, City of Austin says it already cleaned up
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Watershed Protection said it is sending spill investigators back out to Shoal Creek after being made aware that cleanup crews missed hundreds of dead fish at nearby dam.
Earlier this week, viewers sent pictures of the creek to KXAN, which showed the blank eyes of dead fish staring up from cloudy, green water.
AWP said the dead fish and unusual appearance of the water were caused by a major water leak that spilled drinking water and chlorine into Shoal Creek.
Originally, AWP said crews found only 30 fish to have been killed by the leak but later changed that estimation to be more than 300.
AWP said crews would rid the creek of the dead fish on Saturday and Sunday.
A spokesperson confirmed that crews had been out Saturday and only cleaned up fish found in the water on Hancock Drive.
Despite this, a majority of the dead fish could be found halted at a dam roughly two blocks from where crews cleaned up and were there on Saturday evening.
AWP was made aware by KXAN of the hundreds of dead fish at the dam and said it would send investigators back to the area within 24 hours to figure out how to proceed.
People that live along the creek say they're frustrated that the dead fish are still in the creek and worry about the future of the area's wildlife.
"We love nature. We love seeing the snakes, seeing the animals coming down here and fishing. And if you look at the water right now, you can see it's lifeless," Matt Franks said.