Fish kill at Smythe Park Lake addressed by DI POA

The Daniel Island Property Owners' Association released a statement Monday afternoon, Oct. 5, regarding the fish kill at Smythe Park Lake, what may have caused it, and warnings to residents to be cautious around the area:

 

"Many of you have seen the fish kill at Smythe Park Lake, either in person or in the photos going around this weekend. It's hard to see, and we're sorry this has happened. Our lakes and ponds are a big part of why people love living here. Watching the shoreline fill up like that is upsetting for all of us, and we understand the concern and the questions coming in.

 

What happened

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) came out to the lake after the event. They determined that this was a low dissolved oxygen event caused by the heavy rainfall we just had. There's no sign of a chemical spill, contamination, or anything else that would put residents or pets at risk.

 

Events like this happen in stormwater ponds across the Lowcountry, especially in early fall. Clemson University Cooperative Extension trains and certifies most of the aquatic professionals in South Carolina, and they explain it this way. During the warm months, a pond settles into layers. The top layer is warm and full of oxygen. The bottom layer is cooler and has very little oxygen. When a lot of cool rain and runoff hits the pond all at once, the layers can flip and mix. That's called a turnover. Suddenly, the whole pond has less oxygen than the fish need. Cloudy weather makes it worse because algae can't make oxygen without sunlight, but everything in the water keeps using it up overnight. Oxygen is lowest just before sunrise, which is why these kills are almost always found first thing in the morning.

Clemson also notes that larger fish are hit hardest in a low oxygen event. That's what we're seeing at Smythe. Most of the fish on the bank are adults of similar size. When small fish die and big fish survive, it usually points to a toxin or algae problem. That isn't what happened here.

Our POA team was out at the lake on Sunday cleaning up, and they've been back at it all day today with Ruppert, our pond contractor. There is always a possibility we will see more fish come up tonight and over the next day or two. Many fish sink when they first die and float to the surface a day or two later. That doesn't mean the lake is getting worse or that a new event is happening. It's part of how these things play out, and we'll be back out to collect them.

The POA invests a lot in professional pond management because caring for our lakes and ponds is always a priority. Ruppert's team is certified through Clemson University, and they've been involved from the start. Neither the POA nor Ruppert uses chemicals or pesticides in our ponds that are harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Any products used are approved for use in ponds and applied by licensed professionals, following the standards set by Clemson University and the State of South Carolina.

We're also working with Ruppert to explore opportunities that could potentially lower the chance of this happening again and lessen the impact if it does. Nobody can control heavy storms or the conditions that follow them. What we can do is look at practical ways to help Smythe Park Lake handle those conditions better, and we're glad to be taking a closer look.

 

How you can help

A few other requests while we work through this:

- Please don't handle or collect the fish and keep children and pets away from the shoreline until cleanup is done.

- Dead fish will draw alligators, birds, and other wildlife to the edge of the water. Please give the area extra space.

- You may notice an odor for a few days. It will fade as cleanup finishes.

- Please don't add anything to the lake to try to help. Fertilizer, chemicals, and even well-meant treatments can make oxygen problems worse.

 

Thank you to everyone who reported this quickly and for your patience while our team organizes the clean-up and works to determine what happened, the cause, and seeks to learn what more we can do to decrease the potential for recurrence.  As many of you did, if you observe a fish kill, please report it directly to the POA at 843-971-9200 or info@dicommunity.org. Reporting to us puts it straight in front of the people who can act on it."

 

Provided by the Daniel Island Property Owners' Association