Chemical spill kills 20,000 fish in Ohio river
A large fish kill is under investigation in northwest Ohio after heavy rainfall caused a containment dam for a chemical spill to fail, sending fertilizer into the Maumee River, according to city officials.
Napoleon Fire and Rescue responded Saturday after reports of a large number of dead fish near Meyerholtz Park. Crews launched an airboat to determine the extent of the fish kill before learning that earthen dams built to contain a spill in nearby Houston Creek had failed overnight.
In an update Monday, the City of Napoleon identified the chemical as 28% UAN, a liquid fertilizer commonly used in farming.
City officials said the ammonia in the fertilizer is not directly killing the fish. Instead, once it enters the water, naturally occurring bacteria consume the ammonia, depleting dissolved oxygen levels that fish need to survive. Without enough oxygen, officials said, the fish essentially suffocate.
The City of Napoleon, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Henry County Emergency Management Agency continue investigating the incident and coordinating the cleanup.
Water samples collected from multiple locations along the river were tested by the Ohio EPA. While ammonia was detected, officials said the highest reading was 2.8 milligrams per liter—well below the 50 milligrams per liter level considered harmful to people.
As a precaution, Napoleon has temporarily switched its drinking water supply to the Wauseon Reservoir while cleanup efforts continue. City officials said there is no contamination in the city’s drinking water and emphasized the switch is being made out of an abundance of caution until the Ohio EPA confirms the spill has been fully addressed.
As of this past weekend, officials said dead fish stretched from the mouth of Houston Creek to the Campbell’s Soup area near the railroad bridge, with the affected area expected to grow as fish continued drifting downstream. ODNR was expected to conduct a fish kill count.
Officials said Henry County EMA, in partnership with the Ohio EPA, is leading the response to contain and clean up the spill.
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