Extreme cold likely cause of Dimock dead fish

BY STACI WILSON

Fish in some local ponds did not make through the harsh winter weather, including one Dimock Twp. body of water where a “fish kill” was recently reported.

Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection spokesperson Colleen Connolly said an agency Water Pollution biologist, along with DEP Oil and Gas inspectors, looked into the Dimock fish kill event. Both the biologist and inspectors determined that the fish kill was likely caused by a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water – the fish could not get oxygen and died.

Connolly said, “This is a natural occurrence that has been happening at several ponds in the northeast part of (Pennsylvania); most likely due to frozen waters caused by the extremely cold winter.”

Connolly said the state agency determined that nearby natural gas activities had nothing to do with the dead fish found in a pond located near a well pad.

Natural gas opponent Vera Scroggins asserted otherwise at the Wednesday morning Susquehanna County Commissioners’ meeting, claiming the dead fish were tied to natural gas drilling.

She also told the elected officials that a Brooklyn Twp. resident has recently claimed their water well at the home was contaminated by natural gas drilling.

Scroggins brought a bottle of what she claimed was water contaminated by natural gas drilling to the county commissioners meeting; approached the commissioners’ table with it and said, “I want to present you with contaminated water.”

Commissioner Alan Hall told Scroggins to back away and to remove the bottle from the table.

The anti-gas activist implored the commissioners to issue a proclamation declaring a “water emergency” in Susquehanna County and she advocated running water lines to areas where she claims water wells have been affected by drilling.

She also told the commissioners that “investigators” have been in the county since Monday (April 7) and are looking into elected officials at the request of “people who feel they are not getting enough help.”

An unidentified audience member asked if the county tracked the number of residents who are being supplied water by natural gas companies.

Commissioner Alan Hall told the woman that information was handled at the state level.