Early Friday morning one of our volunteers reported seeing dead fish, and we immediately notified Arlington County, Alexandria City, and state and regional authorities that there had been an incident. Although at the time it seemed possible it was related to stormwater runoff overnight, an eyewitness reported seeing fish swimming sideways on the surface on Thursday. Although turtles, waterfowl, and snakes appear not to have been affected, it seems that all fish that were in the tidal portion of the Run were harmed, and thousands died: minnows, bluegill, catfish, gizzard shad, carp (many large, easily 15 pounds in size). At the present time the incident is still being investigated, and we will update this post as more information comes available.
As of Sunday, live fish of several species were again observed in the Run, so whatever pollutant caused the sudden die-off has either dissipated or washed out with the tide. If you noticed anything unusual, or if you can help pinpoint the timing of the incident, please contact us!
