The District is monitoring conditions at a pond in the Village of Santo Domingo where dead fish were discovered Sunday.
District Property Manager Sam Wartinbee said the lack of oxygen from the hot temperatures and lack of rainfall are to blame.
“We have had extreme temperatures and virtually no rainfall here during the month. I think that has deprived the fish of oxygen and therefore killed off quite a few,” he said. “Hopefully we will get some rain this week which will help move the water and aerate it.”
Wartinbee said clean-up efforts to remove the fish carcasses began Sunday with the removal of more than a dozen fish.
The situation will be monitored and the District will be trying to do daily clean-ups on the banks until all the dead fish are eliminated. As of Monday afternoon, residents were still noticing quite a few large dead fish on the shore.
While the birds that normally swim and gather in the water are still refusing to go in, residents have noticed that some of the heron are beginning to eat the fish that have washed up on the banks.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed that most summertime fish kills are oxygen related.
