DEQ monitoring ongoing fish kill on Neuse River around New Bern

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is monitoring an ongoing fish kill in the Neuse River that environmental watchdogs are largely attributing to warm temperatures and a lack of rain.

The state agency has received about a dozen citizen complaints about ongoing fish kills in the Neuse River since Aug. 17. The fish kill is taking place around New Bern near Bridgerton and Union Point, downstream from Riverdale, according to a DEQ press release.

Hot temperatures and low amounts of rain could be contributing to low oxygen levels in that stretch of the Neuse, according to DEQ. Agency staff are also monitoring for algal blooms that could be contributing to low oxygen levels and said there is no indication of chemicals contributing to the fish kill.

Still, the agency is recommending that residents avoid water near the kill.

Sam Krop, the Neuse Riverkeeper for Sound Rivers, called the fish kill unsurprising due to this summer’s hot temperatures. Still, Krop said it is “very significant.”

“It’s been so hot and with the hot weather and lack of rain — even with the hurricane (Idalia) coming through, we didn’t get nearly as much rain as we thought and the creeks didn’t recharge. We still have really low water levels so we basically just had lack of oxygen in the water,” Krop told The News & Observer.

The National Weather Service’s Newport/Morehead City office reported that in July, Eastern North Carolina was about two degrees Fahrenheit above average and saw about two inches less rainfall than average.

Those conditions persisted into August, with the New Bern area seeing about 5.5 inches of rain, less than the 6.81 inch average. The average temperature around New Bern was 81.2 degrees, up from a 78.9 degree average.

Many of the dead fish have been the more delicate menhaden, Krop said. But flounder and sunfish have also died in the area recently, showing that stronger species are now being impacted.

Thursday, Rocky Carter reported to DEQ finding 30 flounder dead on his lot near Bridgerton, northeast of New Bern on the Neuse. Carter also found “countless” dead croaker and pin fish.

“If that extrapolates out over 2-5 miles, could possibly be a major event in these waters,” Carter wrote.

Carter’s report was one of several DEQ has received around New Bern in recent weeks.

Another observer wrote on Thursday, “Huge quantities of juvenile and adult menhaden swimming at the surface randomly and very lethargically. Seem to be gasping for air. Some swimming/floating on their sides.”

Other observers have reported visible discoloration of the water, with thousands of dead menhaden floating in it. On Sept. 3, someone from Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station reported finding a beach covered with dead menhaden.

There have also been at least two reports of algae blooms in the area. On July 20, a Cherry Point environmental affairs official reported finding a potential two-mile long bloom in the Neuse downstream of New Bern. DEQ did not investigate “due to resource limitations,” but recommended that people and animals stay away from the area.

The Neuse has chronically struggled with nutrient pollution. DEQ has reported the excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the river have contributed to past fish kills and algal blooms.

When that pollution overlaps with hot temperatures, Krop said, algal blooms develop. When the blooms die, they suck up oxygen in the water, creating low-oxygen hypoxic zones where fish cannot live. Then, from either wind or rain or other factors the hypoxic zones spread into other areas of the river and fish are left with nowhere to go.

“We need rain and we also need to address nutrient pollution in the Neuse River,” Krop said. “It’s an ongoing issue, and this is a symptom of it.”

Anyone who sees a fish kill happening can make a report to DEQ via a public form or by calling 1-800-858-0368.

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and the 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.