No Golden Algae in Dunkard Creek One Year After Fish Kill

West Virginia Public Broadcasting
30 August 2010
By Ben Adducchio

Download MP3 [ http://www.wvpbmedia.com/news/2010/0830Algae.mp3 ]

August 30, 2010 · It’s been one year since thousands of fish, mussels and salamanders died during a massive fish kill along Dunkard Creek, in Monongalia County. State environmental officials say a golden algae bloom was to blame.

Scientists haven’t found the algae in the stream this year.

Last September, residents along Dunkard Creek discovered scores of dead fish piling up on the creek banks.

The fish kill baffled environmental officials because it was ongoing and dead fish were found at different points along the creek.

The state Department of Environmental Protection concluded golden algae was the culprit.

Patrick Campbell is the assistant director of the DEP’s Division of Water and Waste Management.

“No one wanted this fish kill to happen, this is something that came up, it blindsided everyone involved, we had never heard of golden algae until last fall,” Campbell said.

“Many people have come together to study this, understand it, and try to prevent a recurrence.”

The Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t know, and may never know, what brought the golden algae to the creek.

Campbell says it hasn’t been seen there since last October, but he believes it could still be there.

“This algae can be like a seed in the stream bottom, sort of go into resting mode, so it can come back,” he said.

“We’re watching it real close right now,” he said, “I think golden algae is here to stay, regardless of how it got here, once it’s here local, it’s a whole lot easier for it to move around from water body to water body.”

Last year, the DEP found golden algae in eight streams. But Campbell wants to re-examine that data, since he says the agency’s collections methods have improved and it’s learned more about the algae.

Campbell says golden algae hasn’t been found in any streams in recent months.

“We’re just now getting back into the prime time, so it’s our belief that if we’re going to see it, we’re going to see it in the next month,” he said.

Meridith Byrd is a biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Byrd says the first documented case of golden algae in the Western Hemisphere occurred in Texas 25 years ago.

She says almost every year for the last decade, Texas has experienced regular seasonal golden algae blooms, and it’s killed fish.

Byrd says this algae is a complicated species to study and understand.

“It has the ability to turn its toxin production on and off. It can bloom to very high concentrations, and not be toxic in some cases,” she said.

“Not every golden algae bloom is going to kill fish. If the algae have enough nutrients that it can feed on, then it will not turn on its toxin production.”

The fish kill last September affected 45 miles of Dunkard Creek, and wiped out about 20,000 fish, representing nearly 30 different species.

The DEP says it’s a critical time to monitor for golden algae in Dunkard Creek and other streams.

It’s more likely to bloom now when water levels are lower and it can get a lot of sunlight.