Fischer Creek fish kill investigated, DNR says

By Kristopher Wenn
Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — The state Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday it was investigating a “significant” fish kill that left hundreds of fish dead in Fischer Creek between Interstate 43 and the mouth of the waterway at Lake Michigan.

The dead fish ranged from 4 to 30 inches in length and included game species such as rainbow and brook trout, said Steve Surendonk, DNR fisheries technician, who identified a manure spill from dairy operations as a likely cause.

Dead fish were collected and held for evidence and water samples were sent to the state lab of hygiene, in Madison, he said.

“It was a significant event,” he said.

A complaint was filed to the DNR on Friday after a witness noticed the dead fish in the water at Fischer Creek Park, said Ryan Volenberg, a conservation warden in Mishicot. Volenberg, who is in charge of overseeing the case, said the investigation probably would be completed by next week.

“There are some steps that we still have to take in order to be sure of the cause,” he said.

Regardless of what the wardens find, the results could leave them with more questions than answers, said Russ Tooley, of Manitowoc, a member of the Centerville C.A.R.E.S. environmental advocacy group.

“The cause of the problem could have come from many places in one area and so it might turn out to be a multi-point source,” he said.

Tooley and other environmental advocates said that fish kills, including one last November at Point Creek, result from the DNR’s inability to enforce wastewater laws on agribusiness.

“I appreciate what they do,” he said of the agency. “I just don’t think they’re doing the job on the farm.”

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