Washington Department of Ecology officials said varying fish, including a single coho salmon, have been retrieved from adjacent ditch systems.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — State and federal agencies continued monitoring environmental impacts from the Longview tank implosion after nearly 2,000 dead fish were collected from ditches near the Columbia River.
The new figure released Sunday was a large increase from the previous day’s update when officials said 200 fish were found dead.
Environmental monitoring conducted since the incident has found no evidence that contamination reached the Columbia River, officials said. Water discharged from the facility remains at safe pH levels, and most of the white liquor involved in the incident did not leave the site. However, officials said the large number of fish deaths remains a concern.
Most of the fish were collected from Coal Creek Slough, located near the plant’s main pump on the western side of the ditch system, officials said. pH levels in the slough also remain within a safe range. Officials added that many of the fish likely died within the ditch system and that the number of recovered fish could increase as crews continue flushing operations.
The recovered fish included carp, catfish, sunfish, bass and redside shiners. Officials said a single coho salmon also was recovered.
According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, water quality monitoring throughout the facility’s ditch network showed pH levels remained within the normal range Sunday and posed no threat to public health. Crews continue to pump and flush water through the system to further dilute any remaining material, officials said.
Officials said the Columbia River remains unaffected, and pH levels in the ditch system that drains into the river remain within a safe range. They added that the city’s drinking water remains safe.
The Department of Ecology continues to urge residents to keep themselves and their pets away from affected sloughs, dikes and drainage ditches.
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