By Michael Schnitzel and Karenlyn Barone
"I have never, ever, seen anything like this in my life," said an old-time East Rockaway resident named Robert. "This is sad. I can't imagine, or comprehend, what could have caused this."
Yet officials say such a dieoff is not uncommon at this time of year. The commissioner of the Town of Hempstead Department of Conservation and Waterways, Ron Masters, said that water testing performed by the department indicated that there was a low level of dissolved oxygen in the water, making conditions in the bay deadly for aquatic wildlife. "There have been so many days of hot, humid, still weather that have added to this particular problem," said Masters.
The warm weather also contributed to the death of algae in the bay, further stressing the oxygen supply in the water, according to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Bill Fonda. "When algae start to die off, they sink to the bottom of the water column," Fonda said. "Then they start to decompose and use up oxygen."
Masters said that as the weather cools, the level of dissolved oxygen in the water will return to normal levels.
The Town of Hempstead Conservation Department undertook a cleanup of the affected area last Thursday and Friday. "We took in 630 pounds of fish on Thursday and over 1,300 pounds on Friday," said Masters.
More than 2,000 pounds of dead fish were found, including striped bass, perch, peanut bunkerfish, spearing, small carp, eel, blue crab, Atlantic needlefish and fluke, according to Masters and Fonda.
Fonda said that last week's full moon contributed to the high level of the kill. "What happens with the full moon is that more bait fish move toward the shore with the high tide cycle," he said. "All of those fish moving into that trouble area with the tide is one of the reasons the kill was so high."
The dead fish surfaced near the site of a spill by LIPA pipes last month that dumped 3,500 gallons of dielectric fluid into Powell Creek and the East Rockaway Channel. But LIPA spokesman Michael Lowndes insisted there was no connection.
"Dielectric fluid is essentially mineral oil," he said. "It is selected for its nontoxicity and is very kind to the environment. There are no PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyl] involved or anything of that nature." While older varieties of dielectric fluid contain PCBs and are toxic, the newer forms are vegetable- and soy-based and both nontoxic and biodegradable, he added. Fonda said that the recent LIPA leak of 5,000 gallons of coolant from a transmission line was not related to the fish kill.
Environmental consultant Morris Kramer doubts official findings. He speculates that the lack of oxygen in the water was actually caused by outfall from the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Facility. "About 10 percent of all outflow from the Bay Park plant into Reynolds Channel consists of suspended solids, which eat up a lot of oxygen," he said. "These are toxic byproducts from water treatment and settle at the bottom of the water killing sea life and helping to form seaweed and algae."
Kramer believes that channel was overloaded with these suspended solids from the plant, leading to the large fish kill. "None of the other canals had fish kills - why that one?" he asked.
"Our people determined that [the fish kill] was due to natural causes," he said.
While the dead fish have been removed, some residents complained of a lingering, distinct fishy smell in the air. "I cannot sleep with my windows open yet," said a resident of nearby Althouse Avenue who did not want to be identified. "I wish I could blame someone for this mess, but who should I blame? The fish?"
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
