This memo to file from the DEP’s Division of Watershed Management personnel on their investigation of the recent fish kill in the Charles River. This joint investigation by both local and state governments together was a good example of how government representatives can collaboratively investigated and analyze an issue that was beyond the town’s abilities to figure out on our own, given our lack of the laboratory and testing resources –
Memorandum for the Record
TO: Arthur S. Johnson, DWM, WPP, Monitoring Program Supervisor
FROM: Robert J. Maietta, DWM, WPP, Environmental Analyst
DATE: July 3, 2013
SUBJECT: Fish Kill June 27th Charles and Stop Rivers
On June 28th the writer accompanied Dino DelleChiaie of CERO’s Emergency Response team to follow-up on a fish kill in the Charles and Stop Rivers. It is my understanding that the fish kill was first reported on June 27th. I believe that Dino and Richard Hartley from Mass Wildlife (plus local town officials) initially responded to the kill on the 27th.
Dino and I loaded a jon boat and outboard motor in the event that the fish kill was ongoing and we needed to get upstream to locate a source. We also took a Hydrolab multiprobe (prepared by Robert Nuzzo) to make dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pH, and conductivity measurements.
The first location we stopped at was at the Route 109 bridge (Main Street) crossing over the Charles River in the Town of Medfield. We were met by the Medfield’s Fire Chief William Kingsbury, as well as Cristina Kennedy and Pamela Wegener from the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA).
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.177987,-71.317384&spn=0.011417,0.019205&t=m&z=16
There were no indications of dead fish or oil sheen at this location. Cristina and Pamela (CRWA) took DO and phyco cyanin measurements. DO concentrations were approximately 2.5 mg/l at this location.
The CRWA folks continued upstream on the Charles to Forest Street, also in Medfield. They reported DO of 5 mg/l at Forest Street. They did not report dead fish or the presence of an oil sheen.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.156532,-71.332598&spn=0.022842,0.038409&t=m&z=15
Dino and I proceeded to the Stop River at Causeway Street. There was a boom deployed by the Town of Medfield located just upstream of culvert here but again there was no evidence of dead fish or oil at the boom. There was the slightest hint of a blue sheen just along the stream margins but it was barely noticeable.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.172294,-71.316923&spn=0.005709,0.009602&t=m&z=17
DWM WPP hydrolab resulted in the following measurements.
DO 0.20 mg/l, pH 6.13, T 22.38 C, Cond 242
CRWA also took DO readings here and I believe they got a reading of around 0.68 mg/l.
It should be noted that there was a large amount of what appeared to be dead and dying algae hanging in the bushes at this location. I believe that Chief Kingsbury noted that water at this location was close to topping the road a few days earlier.
We all moved upstream on the Stop River to Noonhill Road in Medfield. Again no evidence of dead fish or oil sheen at this location. CRWA took measurements and found DO to be around 1 mg/l.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.157908,-71.30231&spn=0.00571,0.009602&t=m&z=17
We continued upstream on the Stop River to South Street in Medfield. We encountered a similar situation. No evidence of dead fish or oil sheen at this location.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.150598,-71.304188&spn=0.005711,0.009602&t=m&z=17
DWM WPP hydrolab resulted in the following measurements.
DO 1.38 mg/l pH 6.15, T 23.42 C, Cond 323
CRWA also took DO readings and found 1.3 mg/l. CRWA left us at this point.
1.3
We drove to Campbell Street in Norfolk just downstream of Highland Lake. The river here is high gradient leaving the pond and emanated a strong musty smell. There was no evidence of dead fish or oil sheen so we proceeded to check Highland Lake. Although the lake exhibited some turbidity, no dead fish or sheen was observed.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.127607,-71.304016&spn=0.022853,0.038409&t=m&z=15
Finally we proceeded back to the Charles River at the Route 27 crossing in Medfield /Sherborn. We observed our first dead of the day fish here. A single sunfish was floating caught up in branches on the edge of the river… In addition, over the next 20 minutes we observed two additional sunfish floating downstream. All three fish appeared to have been dead for at least one or two days, maybe more. Due to the height of the bridge we were unable to collect these fish. Dino took water samples here and we took DO readings as well.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.211482,-71.351051&spn=0.022822,0.038409&t=m&z=15
DWM WPP hydrolab resulted in the following measurements.
DO 0.15 mg/l, pH 6.38, T “stored in unit” , Cond 323.2
Although I thought at the time that the low DO might be a normal (in light of the wetland dominated nature of the Charles and Stop Rivers), it seemed strange that DO would be this low during the middle of the day. It appears that I was way off in my assessment at least as compared to data we (DWM WPP) collected in 2007.
Upon returning to office I checked the technical memorandum titled CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED 2007 DWM WATER QUALITY MONITORING DATA (DWM Control Number CN 288.1). Stations located on the Charles River at Route 27 in Sherborn/Medfield and Stop River at Noon Hill Road never experienced DO below 4.58 mg/l during the 2007 surveys.
The fish kill which was initially reported on Thursday June 27th seemed to have subsided by mid day on June 28th. Extremely low dissolved oxygen observed around mid-afternoon on June 28th points to this being a low dissolved oxygen event. The cause of this event was not clear but may be related to the recent warm wet spell which we have been experiencing.
