SPRINGDALE, Arkansas — On Wednesday (July 14), hundreds of dead fish lined the shore of Spring Creek in Springdale.
5NEWS was tipped off by a viewer who sent an email that said, “There are lots of dead fish in Spring Creek.”
5NEWS investigated the viewer's tip and went to the creek, which is located north of Downtown Springdale, to find thousands of small, dead fish lying on the shores of the creek.
“Me and my friend, we walk here nearly every weekend. We haven’t seen anything like this, like ever,” said Springdale resident Passion Perez.
The issue has many in the community concerned.
“So, I find it a little bit concerning, how there's fish, just showing up out of nowhere, dead," said Perez.
A viewer expressed concern in an email to 5NEWS about other animals in the area that rely on fish for their food, such as herons, ducks and other birds rely on the fish in the creek.”
It is an unusual situation for so many fish to die at once in one of our local creeks, so 5NEWS reached out to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for a possible answer.
However, while ADEQ showed up at Spring Creek, they declined to speak on camera. As of now, they have yet to send 5NEWS a statement about the issue.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) did respond to 5NEWS with an answer.
According to the AGFC, it was a small, localized 'fish kill,' also known as a die-off, and said the fish were washed up in shallow riffles of the creek.
The City of Springdale reports that it notified the Division of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Office of Water Quality (OWQ) of a fish kill at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Thursday (July 15). An inspector was dispatched to the site and says the event appears to be localized to one area.
According to the US Geological survey, many, but not all, 'fish kills' in the summer are caused by low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.
Meanwhile, those who are regulars at spring creek have their own speculations.
“Maybe like someone put something in the water, and it just went everywhere, and it’s affecting the life in the water,” Perez said.
The AGFC is now waiting to see what the ADEQ’s water sample results reveal.
According to the AGFC, the fish that washed up are a mix of minnows, sunfish and grass carp.
The investigation is ongoing. We will follow up with you as more information becomes available.