Salt Lake County health officials want to know what killed hundreds of fish in Big Cottonwood Creek last week.
Friday, Utah Fish and Wildlife called in health officials because dead fish by the hundreds were in the stream and along the banks of the creek where it wound through a Holladay neighborhood, sparking concern from area residents that their pets and children could be in danger.Within a short time, health officials counted more than 250 dead brown trout, one of the most common and edible Utah fish.
The count likely was quite a bit higher, but it had to be called off because of darkness. Officials also found a few leads, which are being investigated, said Steve Beach, environmental health specialist.
Samples from the fish have been sent to a lab for analysis, but there's no question the deaths resulted from something that was illegally dumped in the water, Beach said. "There was some kind of contaminant in the stream. We don't know what it was and we're not sure when we will get the test results back. But for that many fish to die, we're positive it was dumping."
Area water supplies were not affected by the contamination, he said, because drinking and household water is taken from upstream of the dump site. And tests of the water since show that the contaminant has dissipated. Live fish have been found both upstream and downstream of the site this week.
The frustration, said Beach, is no one saw anything. But if someone is caught, civil or criminal penalties could be levied under the Utah Water Act.