AP story:

Fish kill reported along Rock River.
Train derailment of ethanol is the expected cause.

Associated Press
7:42 AM CDT, June 22, 2009

STERLING, Ill. - Illinois investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fish kill on the Rock River in northwestern Illinois -- between Grand Detour and Sterling.

Sgt. Carl Lewis of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says they're trying to determine if the run off from a train derailment in the Rockford area got into the Kishaukee River, which flows into the Rock River. That train was carrying ethanol, and Friday's derailment caused an explosion that killed one person.

The Department of Natural Resources is working with the state Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The state is advising the public not to eat fish from the Rock River in Ogle, Lee and Whiteside counties until the cause of the fish kill is determined.

WQAD-TV story with video report.
http://www.wqad.com/...0,3866439.story

WHITESIDE COUNTY, Illinois - The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is advising the public of a fish kill on the Rock River between Grand Detour, north of Dixon in Ogle County, and the lower dam in Sterling in Whiteside County.

"There's speculation that the run off from the derailment in Rockford area of the ethanol got into the Kishaukee River which flows into the Rock River," Sgt. Carl Lewis of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources explained. "We won't know until we get the water samples back and determine what is in the water."

The IDNR is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in this investigation. The further south on the Rock River the agencies tested, they didn't find as many dead fish. By the time it gets to the Henry and Rock Island County areas, this spill may not be a problem. "If it is ethanol, the ethanol does dilute in the water and it would obviously lessen and it may not reach that far," said Sgt. Lewis.

IDNR advises the public to not eat fish from the Rock River in Ogle, Lee and Whiteside Counties until the cause of the fish kill is determined.

Man, thank goodness it went through during a pulse. Can you imagine what it'd been during base flow? I think there'd been a whole bunch more "crabs" dying. And if the rusty crabs are dying, you know it's bad!

Todd

I didnt know ther was crabs in the Rock River,just crayfish.

Well here are some video's of the fish kill
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

Heres a link where you can tell the governer how you feel and or let them know you whant this river restored and the problem fixed so it doesnt happen again.Remember if you remain quite they will think nobody cares and do what they will with the money they are going to sue the railroad for.
http://www.illinois....thegovernor.cfm

The funny thing is that the railroad will be a secondary player in any suits ultimately, since one or more insurance carriers are the ones who will put up the money after being sued by everyone in sight (my father was involved in this type of litigation professionally some years ago). Definitely start to pester the state government now to use any settlement for real restoration, in five or six years when any money is released almost everyone will have forgotten about the specifics of this incident.

As a funny thought, did this river have a carp problem before the spill? Maybe it doesn't anymore, at least for a while?

I could be wrong but aren't those primarily Smallmouth Buffalo and not carp Bruce?

I don't know, I haven't watched the video yet... I was just cogitating.

man thats alot of fish...sad....very sad

Oh Boy.........some more good stuff to add to the Gulf's Dead Zone.........


I wonder how big of a Bead Filter it would take to clean up the river ,say.....just above Shreveport, heading south ?????

We could use the soon to be abandoned oilfield pipelines heading North, for our Backwash hose!

I could be wrong but aren't those primarily Smallmouth Buffalo and not carp Bruce?

Looked like mostly Smallmouth Buffalo. The Kishwaukee in my opinion has to be one of the nicest streams in northern Illinois, this is a really unfortunate story.

Such a very amazing link!



pret personnel

Edited by alexson115, 01 July 2009 - 03:28 AM.