DULUTH, Minn. — The city of Duluth says it is cooperating with regulatory agencies after more than 1,000 fish were found dead last week in Tischer creek.
The DNR confirmed that hundreds of brook trout, minnows, crayfish, and aquatic bugs were among the dead.
Field crews from the DNR and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MCPA) collected fish and water samples last week to be analyzed and help determine the cause.
The MCPA said that the dead findings followed the release of at least 400,000 gallons of water from a City of Duluth reservoir.
Tuesday, the City of Duluth said that the discharged water was safe and drinkable.
The release was part of a maintenance operation of the reservoir. The water discharged in the stormwater system, which flowed into Tischer Creek.
The City of Duluth released a statement Tuesday. It reads in full:
“The City of Duluth is fully cooperating with regulatory agencies conducting the investigation regarding the fish kill at Tischer Creek discovered on August 1.
In the course of a maintenance operation on a nearby drinking water reservoir, the City of Duluth discharged clean, potable drinking water into the stormwater sewer system, which then flowed into Tischer Creek. The City of Duluth would like to reaffirm that the water discharged into the stormwater system on August 1 was safe, clean, and potable for humans and house pets as it left the reservoir. Normal precautions should always be taken when swimming, bathing, or ingesting in natural bodies of water like Tischer Creek.
The City of Duluth will not have further comment in light of the ongoing investigation.”
The MPCA had no evidence to indicate that the nearby construction contributed to the dead fish.
