Several fish were found dead in the Little Juniata River where the treated wastewater is released from the Tyrone Water Treatment Plant.
According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, a total of 243 fish were discovered dead in the Little Juniata.
This is being listed by the Commission as a minor fish kill. Tyrone Borough staff are working with the Fish and Boat Commission and the State Department of Environmental Protection to find the cause of this incident.
According to the Fish and Boat Commission, fish cannot survive due to a rapid rise in water temperature or disease. Since there is a wide variety of fish, such as trout, small mouth bass, carp, minnows, and sunfish, disease is highly unlikely since disease generally kills certain varieties of fish.
According to Tyrone Borough Manager Sharon Dannaway, the Fish and Boat Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection checked the records of the Tyrone Wastewater Treatment Plant for the day the fish kill occurred and records for several days prior to the incident. The cause of this incident is still not known. She also stated that the microorganisms used in the wastewater treatment process appear to be unaffected, but Tyrone Borough officials are not certain they weren’t.
When speaking to Tim Nulton from the wastewater treatment plant, he stated that what local development or what industry typically sends to the plant should not have a negative affect when released into the river. He said that it is possible that if they sent something to the wastewater treatment plant that they don’t typically send it may affect fish in the Little Juniata.
There is always talk about the amount discharged to the plant from American Eagle Paper Mill and how it affects the treatment plant. Nulton said that the wastewater treatment plant has to file a Chapter 94 report that states what the plant can handle five years into the future. If the plant is near capacity, they have to notify DEP. This has not occurred. Nulton said that what American Eagle Paper Mill discharges to the plant and the amount of it should not have a negative affect on the Little Juniata.
In a “letter to the editor” to appear in Saturday’s edition of The Daily Herald, Bill Anderson, President of the Little Juniata River Association, stated that their organization is committed to see that the river remains clear and healthy with a thriving fish population. He also said that their organization would like to learn why this kill occurred and institute corrective measures to ensure that it will not happen again.
