By Carol Mills
Several dead fish that appear to be carp were found last week at McHargue’s Mill in Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park by an employee running the mill.
“He saw them floating when he went in,” Manager Bill Meadors said. “The bigger fish are probably carp. I know there are some small bass and some bluegills in the pond.”
Meadors said he didn’t think there was any danger to the public or to the waterfowl. The water typically gets low in August, and it could be caused by depleted oxygen levels or different things, he said.
“We don’t know what the problem is,” Meadors continued. “We called the Fish and Wildlife and the EPA to come and run some tests to see what was going on. We don’t know how many fish are dead. We just found some floating Sunday. They were above the pond in the back. That’s where they first showed up at. They have washed down past the waterfall.”
About 15 to 20 large and small fish were visible Thursday on the rocks in the area between the waterfall at the mill and the bridge that crosses the Little Laurel River. Another large fish was lying in the rocks at the edge of the duck pond on the left side.
Meadors said he did not know when the Department of Fish and Wildlife or the Environmental Protection Agency would get back with him.
Staff writer Carol Mills can be reached at cmills@sentinel-echo.com.
