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Manager awaits reasons for dead fish in his pond
By Danny Restivo
BROOKFIELD
A manager of a modular home community said he still is waiting to hear what caused fish to turn belly-up in a pond on his property.
Brian Burson, regional manager of Brookfield Acres, 475 Warner Road, said the only information he has received about the matter is from news reports. Burson said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency let him know they were investigating the issue on Tuesday, but neither agency has contacted him since, he said.
He said a nearby property owner called the ODNR on Monday after he noticed several fish were lying motionless in the pond. The agency then notified the OEPA, which started taking samples of the pond water.
On Thursday, the OEPA said a preliminary investigation shows that runoff from a nearby construction site might have caused the fish to die.
An OEPA spokesman said it appears slag used in the construction of a CONSOL Energy well a half-mile away might have caused the fish kill. He said the heavy rain over the weekend caused slag runoff to seep into a stream that entered the pond.
According to a statement from CONSOL Energy, construction of the well began May 14, but no hydraulic fracturing has occurred yet. It also said “CONSOL is taking water samples from the pond, which is adjacent to our property, as well as conducting biological sampling. These samples will enable us to determine what the cause of the aquatic impact was and where it originated.”
The OEPA said it has cited CONSOL Energy for the situation, but no fines will be administered.
Burson said all the agencies, including CONSOL Energy, have been cooperative. But he still would like to hear from them so he can pass accurate information along to his residents.