oEPA
ited States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Watfer Planning
and Standards (WH-551)
Washington. D.G. 20460
EPA-440/4-78-011
Fish Kills
Caused by
Pollution
Fifteen-Year
Summary
1961-1975
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United States Office of Water Planning Washington, D.C. 20460
Environmental Protection and Standards
Agency Monitoring Branch Project Manager
Monitoring and Data Support Edward Biernacki
Division
Fish Kills
Caused by
Pollution
Fifteen-Year
f
Summary
1961-1975
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Contents
Introduction .
Foreword
Statistical Highlights
Basic Statistics
Total Fish Reported Killed
Water Quality Changes Associated
With Fish Kill Incidents
Major Fish Kills
Fish Kills, by Type of Water Body
Fish Kills, by Month
Five-Year Summary of Fish Kill
Reports, by Sources of Pollution in
Ten EPA Regions, 1971-1975
Summary of Reported Fish Kills, by
State
1
2
3
4
8
10
11
14
16
17
19
Tables
Table 1—Historical Summary of
Pollution-Caused Fish Kills,
January, 1961—December, 1975 „ 4
Table 2—Number and Percent of
Reports, and Fish Killed by Size of
Kill, 1961-1975 7
Table 3—Fish Kill Summary by
Source of Pollution, 1961-1975 8
Table 4—Summary of Game and
Nongame Fish Killed, 1961-1975 ._ 9
Table 5—Fish Kill Reports, By
Source of Pollution and Specific
Cause, 1961-1975 10
Table 6—Major Fish Kills (100,000
or Over) 11
Table 7—Fish Kills Totaling
1,000,000 or Over, 1961-1975 12
Table 8—Pollution-Caused Fish
Kills, by State and Type of Water
Body, 1961-1975 14
Table 9—Fish Kill Summary by
Month, 1961-1975 16
Table 10—Percentage of Fish Kill
Reports by Source of Pollution
Within EPA Regions, Five-Year
Summary, 1971-1975 17
Figures
Figure 1—Number of Reports
Submitted and Fish Killed, 1961-
1975 5
Figure 2—Reported Fish Kill
Incidents by Source of Pollution,
Fifteen-Year Summary and Yearly
Summaries, 1961-1975 6
Figure 3—Cumulative Reported
Fish Killed, 1961-1975 ... 8
Figure 4—Number of Fish Killed,
by Source of Pollution, 1961-1975 8
Figure 5—Number of Fish Killed,
by Individual Source of Pollution,
1961-1975 9
Figure 6—Summary of Reported
Fish Kill Incidents by Specific
Cause, 1961-1975 10
Figure 7—Number of Fish Killed
(1,000,000 or More) Reported in 21
States and the District of Columbia,
1961-1975 13
Figure 8—Summary of Pollution-
Caused Fish Kill Reports, by Type
of Water Body, 1961-1975 15
Figure 9—Summary of Fish Killed,
by Type of Water Body, 1961-1975 15
Figure 10—Number of Fish Kill
Reports, by State and Water
Bodies Affected, 1961-1975 15
Figure 11—National Map Showing
EPA Regional Boundaries 18
Figure 12 Through Figure 62—By
States—Reported Fish Kills, by Size
and Percentage of Causes, 1961-
1975 20-71
Appendices
Introduction 73
Appendix A: State Agencies 74
Appendix B: Report of Pollution-
Caused Fish Kill (Sample Form) 76
Appendix C: Glossary-Sources of
Pollution by Type of Operation 77
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Introduction
This report is a fifteen-year summary of
information contained in federal fish kill
publications, based on voluntary
reporting by State and local agencies.
The report includes: An analysis of data
which describes the number of incidents,
the total number of fish killed, the
average size of a kill, and the largest fish
kill or kills reported. The report also
includes the number of reported
incidents by each pollution source
operation and by the individual sources
of pollution under these major
operations.
It should be stressed that pollution-
caused fish kills reported in this
publication probably represent only a
fraction of the kills which actually
occurred during the 1961-1975 period,
partly because the reporting offish kills
is voluntary. Also, numerous small kills
often go unnoticed or unreported, and
significantly large kills are often not
included due to lack of sufficient
information to determine if the kills were
caused by pollutants, or were due to
natural causes. It is often quite difficult to
determine the actual cause of a kill, even
using the most careful investigative and
analytical procedures.
The Public Health Service began
reporting pollution-caused fish kills on
June 1, 1960, under the authority of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, PL
84-660, Section 4(C). In 1960, the
Surgeon General of the Public Health
Service requested that all State fish and
game conservation agencies report
instances of fish kills attributable to
pollutants. Working closely with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and various
independent conservation organizations,
the Public Health Service designed a self-
addressed postcard reporting form
(Appendix B). This form was furnished to
the State agencies to be completed when
fish kills occurred. Summary totals,
statistical evaluations, and conclusions
were, and continue to be, based upon the
information contained in these reporting
forms.
In 1972, the responsibility for fish kill
reporting was transferred to the United
States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) in an attempt to secure additional
information on the effects of pollutants
discharged to surface waters. The
principal objective was to determine, if
possible, the causes of fish kills, and to
place responsibility when kills were
caused by man-made pollution.
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Foreword
The annual EPA fish kill reports represent
the combined voluntary efforts of private
individuals. State fish and game, health,
and conservation officers, and water
pollution control officials at the State and
Federal level. Usually, a fish kill is first
noticed by a fisherman, camper, or other
private citizen who initiates the reporting
process by contacting a warden or other
State official. The State agency then
sends trained specialists to investigate
and identify the species, the cause, and
size of the kill. Where water pollution is
determined or suspected to be the cause,
the State submits a report to the EPA.
The reporting system depends, to a large
extent, upon individuals in the field
making State officials aware of fish kills.
It is quite likely that the large increases in
reports since 1970 over earlier years are
at least partially a result of increased
public awareness of pollution. In an effort
to further increase this awareness and to
encourage individuals to report kills to
State officials, we are including
Appendixes A, B, and C to this report:
• Appendix A—A list of State agencies
who should be notified of kills;
• Appendix B—A reproduction of the
report form to show the information
desired; and
• Appendix C—A definition of the
types of operations identified as
pollutant sources.
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Statistical Highlights
The following are summary statistics of
fish kills reported from 1961 through
1975.
• A total of 465.4 million fish were
reported killed by pollution during the
1961-1975 period.
• Municipal operations accounted for
195.3 million fish killed (42 percent)
and led all other sources of pollution.
Industrial operations was second,
accounting for 98.5 million fish killed
(21 percent). The remaining fish kills
(38 percent) were divided among
agricultural, transportation, and other
operations.
• Industrial operations, with 2,845
incidents (32 percent), led all other
sources of pollution in reported fish kill
incidents.
• A total of 8,967 fish kill incidents
were reported during the 1961-1975
period. The greatest annual number of
incidents (860) were reported in 1971.
• A total of 79 reported incidents
involving a million or more fish
accounted for 360.1 million dead fish
or 77.4 percent of all fish killed.
• Florida led all States in the number
of reported incidents involving a
million or more fish killed (15
incidents), followed by Texas (14
incidents).
• Sewerage systems led all individual
sources of pollution in the number of
fish kill incidents involving 1,000,000 or
more fish (133,000,000 fish—23
reported incidents).
• Ohio led all States in the total
number of reported incidents (1,011),
followed by Pennsylvania (983).
• A total of 7,253 fish kill incidents (82
percent) were reported on rivers, 1,424
incidents (15 percent) were reported on
lakes, and 290 incidents (3 percent)
were reported in coastal waters.
• Maryland led all States in the
number of fish reported killed (104
million, or 22 percent).
• A total of 47 million fish were
reported killed in the largest single
reported incident. This major fish kill
occurred in the Back River near Essex,
Maryland in 1974.
• A total of 335 million fish (72
percent) were reported killed during
the summer months of July, August,
and September.
• Of the 430 million fish reported
killed during the 1961-1975 period, 90
percent were classified as non-game
fish.
• Low dissolved oxygen was identified
as the leading cause of fish kills during
the 1961-1975 period, accounting for
21 percent of the reported fish kill
incidents.
• Pesticides led all other specific
causes in reported incidents (18
percent).
• A comparison of regional variations
of fish kill incidents for the most recent
five-year period, 1971-1975, shows that
of the 10 EPA regions. Region V (Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin,
and Minnesota) had the highest
percentage of incidents (21 percent),
followed by Region IV (Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Mississippi) with 18 percent.
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Basic Statistics
In 1961, the first full year of the voluntary
fish kill reporting program, 45 .
participating States reported 413
incidents. During that year, a small
number of incidents (9) were identified as
major fish kills (100,000 or more fish),
accounting for 90 percent of the total
reported fish killed. Major kills continued
to account for the greatest number of
fish killed between 1961 and 1975.
The number of States participating in the
fish kill reporting program dropped to 37
and 38 in 1962 and 1963, respectively. It
is suspected that this decreased State
activity was due to unobserved or
unreported kills, rather than to decreased
water pollution. Between 1964 and 1971,
however, the number of participating
States increased, ranging from 40 to 46
States.
In 1972, all 50 States participated in the
reporting program for the first time.
However, six States reported that there
were no recorded pollution-caused fish
kill incidents that year.
Between 1961 and 1975,8,967 reports
were submitted involving 465.4 million
dead fish (Table 1). Sources of pollution
were identified in 84 percent (7,498) of
the reports submitted. The annual
estimated number of fish killed ranged
from a low of 6.9 million in 1963 to a
record high of 119 million in 1974 (Figure
1).
It is essential that a fish kill be reported
and investigated immediately in order to
determine the source of pollution and the
polluting agent. Dead fish may be
washed downstream from the source of
pollution. The polluting agent may be
diluted by fast-flowing water, making on-
site investigation difficult or even
impossible. Hot weather conditions
decompose fish tissue, also making it
difficult to identify a polluting agent.
Since the investigator can count or
estimate only those fish which lie on or
near the surface, the number of fish
reported killed is almost always a
conservative figure. In some cases, as
much as 80 percent of the dead fish
cannot be counted due to turbid water,
or because the fish have either sunk to
the bottom of the water body or have
been washed away from the site of the
kill.
During the 15-year period, industrial
operations—the leading source of
reported incidents—accounted for 32
percent of all reported incidents.
Incidents reported under industrial
operations ranged from a low of 20
percent in 1975 to a high of 50 percent in
1962. Industrial operations ranked first in
the number of reported incidents for 14
of the 15 years (Figure 2).
Table 1—
Number of States
responding
Number of reports
Reports which state
number of fish killed ..
Total reported number of
fish killed
Average size of kill1
Largest kill reported .
Number of reported
incidents for each
pollution source
operation
Agricultural
Industrial
Municipal2
Transportation
Other
Unknown
Total reports
Number of reports and fish
killed by size grouping .
1,000,000 or more
100,000 to 1,000,000
10,000 to 100,000 ...
1,000 to 10,000
0 to 1,000
No size reported for
incident
Average duration of kill in
days
1961
45
413
265
14,910,000
5,387,000
74
169
52
0
53
60
413
No.
re-
ports
4
5
45
107
104
148
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
12.6
0.85
1.05
0.34
0.03
2.64
1962
37
421
246
44,001,000
5,710
3,180,000
51
209
33
1
47
80
421
No.
re-
ports
2
9
38
89
108
175
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
41.0
1.69
1.01
0.30
0.03
2.59
1963
38
442
304
6,937,000
7,775
2,000,000
84
199
60
17
27
55
442
No.
re-
ports
1
12
54
134
103
138
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
2.0
2.68
1.82
0.41
0.03
3.18
1 Derived after excluding reports of 100,000 kills or more as being unrepresentative.
2 Municipal operations include electric power-generating stations.
3Rc^respriorto1972wereac^istedloa)rrectdataerrors,and
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Basic Statistics
Historical Summary of Pollution-Caused Fish Kills, January 1961-December 1975
1964
40
590
470
22,914,000
5,490
7,887,000
131
193
120
26
17
103
590
No.
re-
ports
5
15
59
167
224
120
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
16.9
3.82
1.65
0.49
0.07
2.44
1965
44
625
520
12,140,000
4,310
3,000,000
114
244
125
27
23
92
625
No.
re-
ports
3
17
63
202
235
105
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
5.4
4.62
1.42
0.59
0.07
2.57
1966
46
532
453
9,614,000
5,620
1,000,000
88
195
87
27
38
97
532
No.
re-
ports
2
23
58
185
185
79
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
.0
5.48
1.53
0.55
0.05
2.71
1967
40
454
364
11,291,000
6,460
6,549,000
87
139
91
23
35
79
454
No.
re-
ports
1
7
49
143
164
90
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
6.5
2.66
1.58
0.46
0.05
3.34
1968
42
542
469
15,815,000
6,015
4,029,000
77
177
122
39
23
104
542
No.
re-
ports
3
30
64
153
219
73
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
6.1
7.44
1.79
0.48
0.06
2.99
1969
45
594
492
41,166,000
5,860
25,527,000
117
199
84
32
33
129
594
No.
re-
ports
4
9
81
165
233
102
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
35.1
3.15
2.06
0.52
0.06
3.11
1970
45
635
563
22,290,000
6,412
3,240,000
108
213
120
28
28
138
635
No.
re-
ports
5
26
91
198
243
72
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
11.4
7.44
2.73
0.62
0.07
3.25
1971
463
8603
7593
73,670,0003
6,154
5,500,000
132
231
162
52
64
219
860
No.
re-
ports
28
26
124
266
315
101
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
63.0
6.37
3.33
0.86
0.10
3.35
1972
50
760
697
17,717,000
4,639
2,922,000
113
189
167
56
72
163
760
No.
re-
ports
6
27
81
216
367
63
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
8.97
5.43
2.60
0.62
0.09
3.40
1973
50
754
705
37,821,000
5,527
10,000,000
162
198
148
65
56
125
754
No.
re-
ports
6
19
88
253
339
49
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
29.53
4.65
2.74
0.81
0.09
2.72
1974
50
721
648
119,052,000
6,532
47,112,000
145
168
169
40
74
125
721
No.
re-
ports
6
20
110
187
325
73
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
107.6
7.1
3.6
0.6
0.1
3.58
1975
50
624
543
16,111,210
3,879
10,000,000
118
122
90
47
78
169
624
c
No.
re-
ports
3
9
65
173
293
81
No.
fish
(mil-
lions)
12.00
1.87
1.62
0.57
0.07
2.18
Fifteen-Year Summary
1961-1975
8,967
7,498
465,449,000
5,854
47,112,000
1,601
2,845
1,630
480
673
1,738
8,969
Total
re-
ports
79
254
1,070
2,638
3,457
1,469
2.46
Total
(%)
re-
ports
1.0
3.0
12.0
29.0
39.0
16.0
Total
fish kill
(mil-
lions)
360.10
66.24
30.51
8.19
0.81
Total
fish kill
(%)
77.4
14.0
6.7
1.7
0.2
4 Since six reports submitted during the fifteen-year period did not name the source of
pollut on, this f gure is greater by 6 times the figilre 7,492 shown in Tables 3, 4, 8, and
9.
Figure 1—Number of Reports Submitted and Fish Killed, 1961-1975
1,000
900
800
700
CO
c
° 600
o
OC
'6 500
I
| 400
z
300
200
100
] Number of Reports
| Number of Fish Killed—(Millions)
1961
1962
1974
1975
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Figure 2—Reported Fish Kills Incidents by Source of Pollution, Fifteen-Year Summary and Yearly Summaries,
1961-1975
Summary, 1961-1975
Yearly Summaries
1961*
1963
1964
1965
Municipal
Operations / Industrial
20% / Operations
33%
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
Industrial
Municipal / Operations
Operations / 37%
17%
irsflsportition
Operations/ \ Industrial
Operations
Municipal \ 26%
Operations
20%
Transportation
Operations
•The transportation operations category was not included in reports for 1961 and 1962.
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Basic Statistics
Agricultural and municipal operations
were the next most common causes of
fish kills, with each accounting for 18
percent of the reported incidents.
Transportation operations accounted for
5 percent of the reported incidents over
the fifteen-year period, while other
operations accounted for 8 percent of the
incidents. In 19 percent of the incidents,
the cause of the kill was not known.
In 1974, 47 million fish were killed in one
incident in Back River, near Essex,
Maryland eclipsing the previous high for
one incident which was 37.8 million
reported in a single kill in 1962 near San
Diego Harbor, California. Three other
1974 incidents in Back River caused kills
of 31.9, 11.0, and 10.7 million fish. More
fish were reported killed in each of these
incidents than in any other single
incident with one exception: An incident
in Lake Thonotossassa, Florida in 1969 in
which 26.5 million fish were killed.
Although kills of over 1,000,000 fish
accounted for only one percent of the
incidents, these incidents accounted for
77 percent of the fish reported killed
during the 15-year period (Table 2). The
largest percentage of the reports
submitted (39 percent) were within the 0
to 1,000 range offish killed. This range
had the lowest percentage of fish
reported killed (0.2 percent).
Table 2—Number and Percent of Reports, and Fish Killed by Size of Kill, 1961-
1975
Range
1,000,000, or more
100,000 to 1,000,000
10,000 to 100,000
1,000 to 10,000
0 to 1,000
No size reported for incident
Total
Number of
reports
79
254
1,070
2,638
3,457
1,469
8,967
Percent of
reports
1
3
12
29
39
16
100
Number of
fish killed
(millions)
360.10
65.24
30.51
8.19
0.81
464.85*
Percent of
fish killed
77.4
14.0
6.7
1.7
0.2
100
• Rounding off accounts for the difference in the total number of fish killed 1465.449,0001 as reported in Table V
Table 2 summarizes the number and percent
of reports and fish killed by size of kill. The
one percent of the reports in the million or
more fish killed range accounted for 77
percent of the fish reported killed between
1961 and 1975.
Industrial Operations had the highest
percentage of reported fish kill incidents (32
percent) during the 15-year reporting period
(Figure 2).
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Basic Statistics
Total Fish Reported Killed
A total of 465.4 million fish were reported
killed (Figure 3) in 7,492 separate
incidents of water pollution from all
sources (Table 3, Figure 4). During the
fifteen-year period (1961-1975) the
largest number offish kills reported in
the United States were classified as
municipal operations (42 percent), with
sewerage systems being the major
municipal operation causing fish kills
(Figure 5). Industrial operations ranked
Second (21 percent) in the number of
reported fish kills; unknown causes
ranked third (18 percent), other
operations ranked fourth (12 percent),
agricultural operations ranked fifth (6
percent) and transportation operations
ranked sixth and last with one percent. In
the remaining 1,475 reports (1& percent),
fish losses were either not stated, or
were not expressed in numerical terms.
Of the 465.4 million fish killed (Table 4),
422.7 million (90 percent) were classified
as non-game fish* and 10 percent were
classified as game fish.
Figures—Cumulative Reported Fish Killed, 1961-1975
500 r-
rear196l 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 197S
4537384044 46 40 42 45 45 46 50 50 50 50
Number of States Reporting
Over 465 million fish were reported killed by
pollution during the 15-year period. Figure 3
summarizes the reported number of fish killed
for the 1961-1975 period. The first reporting
year, 1960 was excluded since reports were
not received for the full year.
Figure 4—Number of Fish Killed,
by Source of Pollution,
1961-1975
200r ' 195,309,549
Table 3—Fish Kill Summary by Source of Pollution, 1961-1975
Agricul-
tural
Indus- Munic- Transpor- Other Unknown
trial ipal tation Operations
Source of Pollution
Municipal operations killed more fish (195
million) than any other operational source of
pollution (Figure 4).
Table 3 Summarizes fish kills by major and
individual sources of pollution. Municipal
operations was the leading source of
pollution, accounting for 42 percent of the fish
reported killed.
Reports specifying number
of fish killed
* Non-game fish generally have no limitations as to size,
weight season or type of lure.
Source of pollution
Agricultural
Insecticides
Fertilizers
Manure-silage drainage
Subtotal
Industrial
Mining
Food products
Paper products
Chemicals
Petroleum
Metals
Combinations
Other
Subtotal
Municipal
Sewerage systems
Refuse disposal
Water systems
Swimming pool
Power
Subtotal
Transportation
Rail
Truck
Barge or boat
Pipeline
Subtotal
Other operations
Unknown
Total
Total
reports
1,024
97
480
1,601
376 -
441
137
503
321
211
93
763
2,845
1,340
45
111
44
90
1,630
85
220
32
143
480
673
1.738
8,967
Number of
reports
813
85
424
1422
297
362
115
444
245
188
84
603
2438
1,144
39
102
42
80
1,407
71
210
26
119
426
537
1/482
7,492
Number of
fish killed
20,569,419
670,334
7,227,107
28,466,860
9,937,230
42,947,899
2^36,902
8703,552
9,089,513
2,512,078
15,000,643
8,530^66
98,558,083
173,050,480
211,788
1,224,543
67,830
20,752,255
195,309,549
2,697,202
1,581,138
167,519
1322.409
6468768
54,217,929
82,509,088
465,429,777
killed, by source
of pollution
6%
21%
42%
1%
12%
18%
100%
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Basic Statistics
Figure 5—Number of Fish Killed, by Individual Source of Pollution, 1961-1975
200,000.000 r 173,050,480,
90,000,000
60,000,000
50.000.000
40,000,000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
J 9,000,000
£ 8,000,000
il 7,000,000
° 6,000,000
4>
•| 5.000,000
Z 4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
M
:«
s
Q_
O)
§
S
i
o
o>
-C
O
Industrial
(98,558,083)
M
CO
QC
E
o>
M
CO
0)
1
8
Q_
O
C
CO
Q.
Municipal
095,309,549}
i
o
3
S
CD
O
o»
1
?
"SJ
Q.
Q.
Transportation
(6^68,268)
o.
o
O)
-C
o
c|
*s£
^0?
£
c
c
-li
si§
.=«
Individual Source of Pollution
Sewerage systems under municipal operations
led all other individual sources of pollution
(Figure 5) in the number offish killed (173
million).
Table 4—Summary of Game and Nongame Fish Killed, 1961-1975
\
Source of Pollution
Agricultural
Industrial
Municipal
Transportation
Other
Unknown
Total
Total
reports
1,601
2,845
1,630
480
673
1,738
8,967
Percent
of
reports
18
32
18
5
8
19
100
Reports specifying
reported fish kill
No. of
reports
1,322
2,338
1,407
426
537
1,462
7,492
No. of
fish
28,466,860
98,558,083
195,309,549
6,368,268
54,217,929
82,509,088
465,429,777
Percent
of fish
killed
6
21
42
1
12
18
100
Estimated fish killed
Game
5,395,970
14,790,568
5,992,861
1,369,445
8,343,618
6,812,766
42,705,228
Nongame
24,252,225
85,145,713
187,325,269
5,246,236
45,486,179
75,268,763
422,274,385
Table 4 summarizes the number of fish killed
during the 1961-1975 period by major sources
of pollution. This table a/so summarizes the
number of fish killed in the game and non-
game categories.
9
-------
Basic Statistics
Water Quality Changes
Associated with Fish Kill
Incidents
The operations previously described lead
to specific changes in the water
conditions which cause the fish kills.
These specific causes were identified for
8,967 kills over the 15-year period.
Low dissolved oxygen (Table 5, Figure
6) was the leading known specific cause
offish kills, resulting in 1,893 incidents
(21 percent). Pesticides ranked second as
a known cause of reported fish kills (18
percent), while petroleum and inorganic
chemicals ranked third (8 percent). Acids
and organic chemicals ranked fourth (5
percent each), followed by fertilizers and
mixed chemicals (2 percent each), and
thermal and combinations (1 percent
each). The specific cause was not known
for 29 percent of all reported fish kill
incidents.
Low dissolved oxygen was the leading specific
cause of reported fish kills (21 percent. Figure
6).
Table 5 summarizes fish kill reports by
individual sources of pollution and specific
causes during the 15-year reporting period.
Figure 6—Summary of Reported Fish Kill Incidents by Specific Cause,
1961-1975
Table 5—Fish Kill Reports, by Source of Pollution and Specific Cause, 1961-1975
Specific Cause '
Individual sources
of pollution
Pesticides
Fertilizers
Feed lot drainage
Mining
Food and kindred products
Paper and allied products
Chemicals
Petroleum
Metals
Combination
Other industrial
Sewerage system
Refuse disposal
Water system
Swimming pool
Power
Rail
Truck
Barge or boat
Pipeline
Other
Unknown
i Total
Percent of reports
Pesticides
and
poisons
921
—
2
30
5
—
19
—
1
—
215
96
2
14
1
4
6
6
—
1
191
58
1,572
18%
Fertilizers
76
—
—
—
—
21
—
—
5
5
1
—
—
3
14
—
2
1
8
136
2%
Organic
chemicals
2
—
11
7
58
12
71
7
'2
2
75
121
6
2
1
2
9
22
1
2
37
8
458
5%
Inorganic
chemicals
12
9
5
25
42
14
132
15
92
4
57
74
5
58
37
12
11
24
1
3
62
30
724
8%
Mixed
chemicals
1
—
1
18
11
22
33
8
11
12
9
2
13
—
2
2
7
—
1
43
10
206
2%
Low
dissolved
oxygen
6
407
5
227
48
25
4
—
25
61
821
14
4
—
13
3
1
5
3
102
120
1.894
21%
Petroleum
—
—
— •
5
7
5
2
215
8
2
42
8
—
—
—
9
33
112
19
117
76
20
680
8%
PH
—
1
6
200
16
5
45
26
32
1
40
15
2
6
3
3
6
15
1
2
28
17
470
5%
Combination
1
1
9
8
4
2
7
6
6
22
12
17
3
—
1
1
2
—
1
11
12
126
1%
Thermal
—
—
2
2
—
4
—
1
7
2
—
1
—
27
—
—
—
—
4
—
50
1%
Unknown
87
4
39
76
68
29
143
39
59
36
237
169
10
13
2
17
11
17
5
11
123
1/454
2.651
29%
Total
1,024
97
480
376
440
137
502
320
211
93
763
1,337
45
111
44
90
85
220
32
143
678
1,737
8*67
Percent of
reports
11
01
05
04
05
02
06
04
02
01
09
15
—
01
—
01
01
02
—
02
08
20
100%
100%
10
-------
Basic Statistics
Major Fish Kills
Between 1961 and 1975, a total of 425
million fish were reported killed in 333
incidents which involved more than
100,000 fish killed in each incident (Table
6). Industrial operations accounted for
the greatest number of incidents (105
reports or 32 percent), while municipal
operations accounted for the greatest
number of fish killed (187 million or 43
percent). Sewerage systems led all
individual sources of pollution in the
number of major fish kill reports (82
reports or 24.6 percent), and in the
number and percent of fish killed (166
million, 39 percent).
Seventy-seven of these major incidents
involved a million or more fish each and
accounted for a total of 382 million dead
fish within 21 States and the District of
Columbia (Table 7). The States of
Alabama, Florida, and Texas (Figure 7)
reported the largest number of individual
fish kills of one million or more fish.
Alabama submitted nine of these reports
totaling 15 million fish, with sewerage
systems causing six incidents involving
12 million fish. Four of these large kills,
totaling 7,000,000 fish, occurred near
Mobile, Alabama.
Table 6—Major Fish Kills (100,000 or Over)
Source of pollution
Agricultural:
Insecticides
Fertilizers
Manure-silage drainage
Subtotal
Industrial:
Mining
Food products
Paper products
Chemicals
Petroleum
Metals
Combinations
Other
Subtotal
Municipal:
Sewerage systems
Refuse disposal
Water systems
Swimming pool
Power
Subtotal
Transportation:
Rail
Truck
Barge or boat
Pipeline
Subtotal
Other operations
Unknown
Total
Total
reports
17
1
18
36
16
13
6
22
13
8
10
17
105
82
—
3
—
11
96
4
3
—
6
13
22
61
333
Percent
reports
5.1
0.3
5.4
10.8
4.8
3.9
1.8
6.6
3.9
2.4
3.0
5.1
31.5
24.6
—
1.0
-
3.3
28.9
1.20
.90
—
1.80
3.90
6.6
18.3
100.0
Number
of fish
15,769,517
105,834
4,762,131
20,637,482
7,524,019
40,773,402
1,886,068
5,461,086
7,948,423
1,587,622
14,645,330
4,982,485
84,808,435
166,046,754
—
969,600
-
20,173,380
187,189,734
2,030,000
442,244
—
1,120,760
3,593,004
52,131,382
77,410,167
425,770,204
Percent
fish
killed
3.7
0.0
1.1
4.8
1.8
9.6
0.5
1.3
1.9
0.4
3.3
1.1
19.9
39.00
—
0.2
-
4.7
43.9
0.4
0.1
_
0.3
0.8
12.2
18.1
100.00
Table 6 lists the major fish kill incidents
occurring between 196 J and 1975 in which
100,000 or more fish were killed in each
incident. Industrial operations accounted for
the greatest number of incidents (105 reports
or 31.5 percent), while municipal operations
accounted for the greatest number of fish
killed (187 million fish, or 43 percent).
11
-------
Basic Statistics
Table 7—Fish Kills Totaling 1,000,000 or Over, 1961-1975
Year State
1968 Alabama
1969 Alabama
1970 Alabama
1971 Alabama
1971 Alabama
1971 Alabama
1972 Alabama
1972 Alabama
1974 Alabama
1962 California
1964 California
1970 California
1985 Connecticut
1971 Connecticut
1971 Connecticut
1962 District of Columia
1964 Honda
1966 Florida
1969 Florida
1971 Honda
1971 Florida
1971 Honda
1971 Honda
1971 Florida
1971 Honda
1971 Florida
1971 Honda
1971 Florida
1971 Honda
1971 Florida
1971 Honda
1970 Georgia
1963 Hawaii
1961 Illinois
1967 Iowa
1968 Iowa
1971 Louisiana
1971 Maryland
1974 Maryland
1974 Maryland
1974 Maryland
1974 Maryland
1971 Massachusetts
1972 Massachusetts
1972 Massachusetts
1971 New Jersey
1973 New Jersey
1961 North Carolina
1964 Ohio
1965 Ohio
1972 Ohio
1974 Ohio
1965 Oklahoma
1961 Pennsylvania
1964 Pennsylvania
1966 Pennsylvania
1968 Pennsylvania
1961 Tennessee
1969 Tennessee
1969 Texas
1970 Texas
1970 Texas
1971 Texas
1971 Texas
1971 Texas
1971 Texas
1971 Texas
1971 Texas
Number
offish
killed Near or in
1,000,000 Mobile
1,000,000 Fackler
3,000,000 Mobile
1,000,000 Birmingport
2,000,000 Gilmore
2,000,000 Mobile
1,000,000 Josephine
1,000,000 Mobile
3,000,000 Birmingport
37,000,000 San Diego
2,000,000 Santa Barbara
2,000,000 Los Bands
3,000,000 Wethersfield
1,000,000 Norwich
• 2,000,000 Waterford
3,000,000 District of Columbia
1,000,000 Sanford
1,000,000 __ Winter Garden
26,000,000 Plant City
3,000,000 Santa Rosa County
5,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Santa Rosa County
2,000,000 Augusta
2,000,000 Wahiawa Oahu
5.000,000 Creve Couer
6,000,000 Webster City
1,000,000 Des Moines
1,000,000 Slidell
1,000,000 Conowingo
47,000,000 Essex
10,000,000 Essex
11,000,000 Essex
31.000,000 Essex
1,000,000 Somerset
1,000,000 Falmouth
1,000,000 Sandwich
2,000,000 Goshen
1,000,000 Waretown
5,000,000 Cherry Point
7,000,000 New Miami
1,000,000 Hancock County
2,000,000 Lake County
2,000,000 Hancock County
1,000,000 Waukomis
1,000,000 Sunbury
1,000,000 Slippery Rock
1,000,000 Sharsbury
4,000,000 Bruin
1,000,000 Johnson City
2,000,000 Johnson City
5,000,000 Brownsville
2,000,000 Channehnew
1,000,000 Freeport
1,000,000 Anahucac
3,000,000 Anahucac
2,000,000 Dickinson
3,000,000 Dickinson
4,000,000 Dickinson
1,000,000 Gilcrist
Lake or stream
Dog River
Mud Creek
Dog River
Locust Fork
Valley Creek
Eslava Creek-Dog River
Soldier Creek
Three Mile Creek
Locust Fork
Coastal Waters
Santa Barbara Harbor
Delta Mendota Canal
Wethersfield Covert
Thames River
Millstone Point
Anacostia River
Lake Jessup
Lake Apopka
Lake Thonotossassa
Bass Hole Cove
F. Shore FS Gambia
Saltzman Bayou
Judges Bayou-ESC
Judges Bayou-ESC
Bass Hole Cove
Judges Bayou
Judges Bayou
Mulatto Bayou
N. Escambia Bay
Mulatto Bayou
Mulatto Bayou-Canal
Camille or Lakes
Wahiawa Reservoir
Illinois River
Boone River
Des Moines River
Salt Bayou
Susquehanna River
Back River
Back River
Back River
Back River
Lee River
Great Pond
Cape Cod Canal
Biswell Ditch
Oyster Creek
Slocum Creek
Great Miami River
Blanchard River
Lake Erie
Radar Creek
Big Turkey Creek
Susquehanna River
Slippery Rock Creek
Allegheny River
Allegheny River
Boone River
Boone Lake
Arroyo Colorado
San Jatinto River
Freeport Harbor
Oyster Bayou
Trinity River
Dickinson Bayou
Dickinson Bayou
Dickinson Bayou
Sun Oil "Slip"
Operation
Sewerage system
Rail transportation
Sewerage system
Combination
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Unknown
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Other operations
Sewerage system
Food products
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Power
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Other operations
Food products
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Sewerage system
Unknown
Poisons
Food products
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Power
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Chemicals
Poisons
Power
Other operations
Power
Unknown
Combination
Sewerage system
Power
Food products
Petroleum
Mining
Mining
Mining
Petroleum
Other industrial
Other operations
Poisons
Combination
Unknown
Unknown
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Sewerage system
Unknown
Table 7 lists the major fish kill incidents
occurring between 1961 and 1975 in which
1,000,000 or more fish were killed in each
incident These kills are listed by: Year; State;
number offish killed; name of nearest town or
county; receiving water; and operations. A
total of 382,000,000 fish were reported killed in
77 incidents.
12
-------
Basic Statistics
Table 7—Continued
Year
1972
1973
1973
1973
1973
1964
1973
1971
1960
State
Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas
Virginia
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Number
of fish
killed
1,000,000
1,000,000
3,000,000
10,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
7,000,000
56,000,000
5,000,000
Near or in
Houston
Galveston
Galveston
Houston .
Laporte
Jamestown
Menchville
Pasco
Charleston
Lake or stream
Galveston Bay
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
Drainage Canals
Taylor Lake
James River
James River
Snake River
Kanawha River
Operation
Combination
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Other operations
Other industrial
Total
382,000,000
Florida and Texas ranked first and second,
respectively, in the number of reports
involving a mil/ion or more fish killed (Figure
7). Maryland ranked first in the number of fish
killed in the 1,000,000 or more range, followed
by Florida and Washington.
Figure 7—Number of Fish Killed (1,000,000 or More) Reported in 21 States and the District of Columbia, 1961-1975
100 -|100
90
80
70
60
o
o.
0)
-------
Basic Statistics
Fish Kills, by Type of Water
Body
Of the 8,967 fish kill incidents between
1961 and 1975 (Table 8), 7,253 (81
percent) occurred in rivers, 1,424 (16
percent) occurred in lakes, and 290 (3
percent) occurred in coastal waters
(Figure 8).
A total of 213.5 million fish were killed ,
in rivers, accounting for 46 percent of the
fish reported killed between 1961 and
1975 (Figure 9). Fish killed in lakes (61
million) accounted for 13 percent offish
reported killed, and the fish killed in
coastal waters (190.8 million) accounted
for 41 percent of the fish reported killed
during the 15-year summary period.
Therefore, the kills in coastal waters
were, on the average, much larger than
the kills in rivers and streams.
Ohio led in the number of incidents
reported in rivers (985), Florida led in the
number of incidents reported on lakes
(130), and California led in the number of
incidents (91) reported in coastal waters
(Figure 10).
Table 8—Pollution-Caused Fish Kills, by State and Type of Water Body, 1961-1975
Reports specifying
number of fish killed
State
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Honda
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Total
Total
reports
271
15
13
s~W3.
486
34
145
22
3
262
144
47
' 48
269
270
123
203
122
268
65
69
97
125
79
24
383
52
159
12
72
370
17
376
149
27
1,011
93
114
983
22
35
21
254
779
31
19
188
221
147
77
29
8.967
Number
of
reports
251
10
11
47
460
28
107
17
2
194
74
41
47
259
208
93
194
77
212
37
57
84
109
48
21
325
35
125
7
42
332
11
335
136
23
956
71
90
900
19
30
16
222
535
24
16
167
159
136
71
21
7,492
Number
of
fish
31,757,304
580,885
612,817
479,649
48,605.273
1,498^91
6,628,684
33,656
3,680,000
62,196,908
2,317,906
2,300,434
1,746317
11,797364
630,414
8,833,227
5,864,076
1,771,779
2^27,802
93,655
104,086,625
4,243,293
352,087
83324
421330
3,625,737
450,468
1,406,630
45300
161338
5,168,431
31375
2369316
6,632,476
603,500
24342,738
2,626,507
938,573
16,034,493
46,250
388,883
549,697
8,060,063
66,863,777
71,223
75,595
13,043,962
6,464,258
1,739,137
560,036
83314
465,429,777
River
Number
of
reports
220
5
11
61
289
28
104
14
3
83
80
28
41
241
259
111
183
117
241
57
48
53
105
72
20
315
48
95
10
36
243
15
349
122
11
985
68
93
940
7
29
14
209
589
23
19
150
172
145
69
23
7,253
Number
of
miles
6343
34
92
674
601
142
251
24
3
707
539
29
151
1360
801
627
1,114
709
1,764
165
1,289
141
152
1306
1,506
1,436
324
424
30
40,132
436
127
772
1,594
354
190
510
10387
2,781
31
207
184
726
1,797
92
73
633
369
614
243
79
84369
Lake
Number
of
reports
44
4
2
61
106
6
36
5
—
130
63
8
7
28
11
12
20
5
26
8
8
42
20
7
3
68
4
64
2
35
121
2
25
24
16
26
25
21
43
15
6
7
45
118
8
—
33
38
2
8
6
1/424
Number
of
3CT6S
4,988
1,294
154
7369
36312
81
852
60
39,280
8363
308
1391
3398
51
41
22,131
7
2.446
3396
49
1,108
24
30
51
690
855
3354
251
8350
1363
38
76
589
4,107
•
4,006
77
4373
512
435
3388
2375
2,196
33
— "
253
115
9
399
59
171,487
Coastal waters*
Number
of
reports
7
6
—
—
91
—
5
3
—
49
1
11
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
13
2
—
—
1
—
—
—
—
1
6
—
2
3
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
72
—
— •-.
5
11
• . '"-' '''
— .. "
, — '
290
Number
of
miles
8
11322
—
34,863
—
1
23
—
969
. —
53
—
—
—
—
—
—
1300
—
2369
67
—
—
' 5 I
—
—
—
700
9
—
100
1
—
—
—
—
—
.
—
:
'
271
—
; , —
38,419
35
—
.
. -- .-
90315
* Includes embaymnts such a Chesapeake. San Francisco, and Galeaon Bays.
14
-------
Basic Statistics
Figure 8—Summary of Pollution-
Caused Fish Kill Reports,
by Type of Water Body,
1961-1975
-Coastal Waters 3%
Figure 10—Number of Fish Kill Reports, by State and Water Bodies Affected,
1961-1975
Of the three water bodies affected by
pollution, rivers (Figure 8) had the highest
percentage of reported fish kills (81 percent),
followed by lakes (16 percent) and coastal
waters (3 percent).
Figure 9—Summary of Fish Killed,
by Type of Water Body,
1961-1975.
Of the three types of water bodies affected by
pollution, rivers led in the number of reported
fish killed (46 percent) followed by coastal
waters (41 percent) and lakes (13 percent)
(Figure 9).
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
^•i Rivers
•i Lakes
I I Coastal Waters
100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Number of Reports
800
900 1,000
1,100
Table 8 summarizes data from the 50 States
which reported one or more pollution-caused
fish kill incidents. Of the 8,967 reports
submitted, 7,492 indicated the number of fish
killed. The remaining 1,475 reports did not
specify the number of fish killed. The table
also shows the number of reports for incidents
that occurred in rivers, lakes, and coastal
waters and the areas affected.
Ohio reported the largest number of fish kill
incidents occurring in rivers (985 reports)
while Florida (Figure 10) reported the largest
number of incidents occurring in lakes (130
reports). California led all other States in the
number of incidents occurring in coastal
waters (91 reports).
15
-------
Basic Statistics
Fish Kills, by Month
The greatest number of reports (5,375 or
60 percent of the total number of reports)
were submitted for the warm weather
months of June, July, August, and
September (Table 9). In terms of fish
killed, August ranked first with 195
million, or 42 percent of all fish killed
during the 1961-1975 period, followed by
July and September with approximately
70 million fish (15 percent) each. The
smallest number of fish were killed in
February and December (two and three
million, respectively).
Table 9—Fish Kill Summary by
Month, 1961-1975
Reports specifying number of
fish killed
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
Jury
August
September
October
November
December
Total
Total
reports
282
266
389
617
940
1,226
1,556
1/467
1,126
607
336
155
8,967
Number
of
reports
217
203
312
503
771
1,052
1,317
1,249
954
510
279
125
7,492
Number
of
fish
36,170,813
2,013,645
5,855,159
12,066,295
24,930,321
13,080,057
69,320,514
195,268,725
70,798,407
27,035,440
5,798,355
3.092,046
465,429,777
Table 9 summarizes fish kills occurring by
month during the 15-year reporting period.
16
-------
Five-Year Summary of Fish Kill Reports,
by Sources of Pollution in Ten EPA
Regions, 1971-1975
Table 10 summarizes the fish kill
incidents by pollution source operations
within each Environmental Protection
Agency Region for the 1971-1975 period.
Figure 11 is a national map that outlines
the EPA regional boundaries and the
States and territories that make up each
region.
The variations between EPA regions
reflect the characteristics of the regions.
For example, industrial operations, led by
the chemical, petroleum and mining
industries were by far the major cause of
fish kills in Region III, which includes the
heavily industralized areas along the
lower Delaware River and near
Pittsburgh, as well as the Appalachian
coal mining areas in Maryland,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. On the
other hand, agricultural operations were
the major cause of fish kills in Regions
VII and VIII, which include much of the
nation's farm belt.
Table 10—Percentage of Fish Kill Reports by Source of Pollution Within
EPA Regions, Five-Year Summary, 1971-1975*
EPA Regions
Source of pollution:
III IV
VI VII VIII IX
Total Percent
5 25 22 92
18 47 129 143
5.9 7.0 19.4 18.2
Agricultural:
Pesticides 23 11 19 102 24
Fertilizers -- 2 3 5 27
Manure-silage
drainage 2
Subtotal 25
Percent 18.2
Industrial:
Mining -- 4 32 25 20
Food products -- 28 13 10 45
Paper products 2 1 2 20 10
Chemicals 15 23 49 38 28
Petroleum 1 9 46 9 20
Metals 1 11 20 9 13
Combinations 1 4 3 2
Other 7 11 37 27 50
Subtotal 27
Percent 19.8
Municipal:
Sewerage systems ... 15 49
Refuse disposal -- 5 6 2 6
Water systems 26988
Swimming pool 2 4 5 1 --
Power 7 11 8 1 15
Subtotal 26 75 88 147 186
Percent 19.0
Transportation:
Rail 11537
Truck 3 23 48 16 22
Barge or boat -- -- 2 1
Pipeline 1 1 20 3 22
Subtotal 5 25 75 23 51
Percent 3.6 8.2 14.3 3.6 6.5
Other Operations: 17 41 70 37 61
Percent 12.4 13.5 13.4 5.6 7.8
Unknown: 37 58 39 187 156
Percent 27.0 19.1 7.5 28.2 19.9
Total: 137 304 522 664 785
Percent 100 100 100 100 100
93
2
14
109
22.1
2
10
5
30
33
6
13
13
23
14
51
1
20
7
50 12 3 6
87 23 55 33
28.0 30.7 22.4 18.5
21
10
3
12
12
4
2
13
4
4
2
1
2
5
5
4
5
3
14
87 203 141 188 112 66 13 31 38
28.6 38.9 21.2 23.9 22.7 21.2 17.3 12.7 21.4
60 135 157 80 51
1 2
2 2
1 8
84 63
14 22
8
283
2 2
1 3
18 33 14
24.7 16.9 22.1 23.7 17.0 20.3 24.0 13.5 7.9
5
6
3
9
23
4.7
40
8.1
125
15
30
9.6
18
5.8
47
25.4 15.1
493 311
100 100
2
3
1
6
8.0
5
6.7
10
2
10
3
16
6.1
27
11.0
84
13.3 34.3
75 245
100 100
1
5
1
7
3.9
28
15.7
58
32.6
178
100
375
63
231
669
18.0
125
127
48
204
137
70
23
172
906
24.4
591
22
50
16
734
19.8
33
145
7
76
260
7.0
344
9.2
801
21.6
3,714
100
10.1
1.7
6.2
18.0
3.4
3.4
1.3
5.5
3.7
1.9
0.6
4.6
24.4
16.0
0.6
1.3
0.4
19.8
0.9
3.9
0.2
2.0
7.0
9.2
21.6
100
REGION I
Connecticut
- Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
" Rhode Island
Vermont
REGION It
New Jersey
New York
REGION III
Delaware
District of
Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
REGION IV
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
REGION V
Illinois
Inditna
Michigan
Minnesota
Ohio
Wisconsin
REGION VI
Arkansas
Louisiana
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas
REGION VII
Iowa
Kansas
Missouri
Nebraska
REGION VIII
Colorado
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Utah
Wyoming
REGION IX
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Nevada
REGION X
Alaska
Idaho
Oregon
Washington
* Present EPA regions were established in 1971.
Table 10 summarizes the number of reported
pollution-caused fish kill incidents by
individual sources of pollution for each EPA
region.
17
-------
Figure 11—National Map Showing EPA Regional Boundaries
N«wYork
The 10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
regional boundaries are displayed on a
national map (figure 111.
18
-------
Summary of Reported Fish Kills, by State
This section of the report summarizes Figures 12 through 62 which follow The counties which reported fish kills in
fish kills reported during the 1961-1975 consist of individual State maps showing the State of Texas are shown in a
period on a State-by-State basis. Data for the location and size of fish kills reported separate listing which follows Figure 56.
each State are reported separately and within specific counties, and a chart This listing shows the number of reports
each reported fish kill is located within show rig the percentage of fish killed, by and the number of fish killed, by county.
the county in which it occurred. Each source of pollution, in each State.
map includes a set of symbols denoting
the size of an individual kill. When map
scale prohibits the use of symbols,
numbers are used to denote the number
of reports and the number of fish killed.
19
-------
figure 12
State of Alabama—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
10000—100000
X 100 000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company. Inc., New York #18328
Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
20
-------
Figure 13
State of Alaska—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100 000—1000000
^ over 1000 000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, * 18328
21
-------
Rgure 14
State of Arizona—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Unknown
, 8%
Other
Operations
8%
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
22
-------
Figure 15
State of Arkansas—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 —1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, * 18328
23
-------
Rgure 16
State of California—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Rsh Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
^ over 1000000
7-710500 U"
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
' Indicates the number of report* and the number of fish killed.
24
-------
Figure 17
State of Colorado—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 — 1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
•f 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company. Inc., New York, #18328
-------
Rgure 18
State of Connecticut—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10 000—100 000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc.. New York, #18328
Transportation
Operations
2%
26
-------
Figure 19
State of Delaware—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
* over 1000 000
•CAjfl
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
27
-------
Figure 20
District of Columbia—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Rsh Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Municipal Operations
100%
3.7 million fish killed in 3 incidents
28
-------
Figure 21
State of Florida—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 —1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000 000
11-1,126,641
35-1,025,055
© American Map Company, Inc., New York. #18328
• Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
29
-------
figure 22
State of Georgia—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Transportation
Operations
3%
Rsh Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
•fr 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Agricultural
Operations
• 39%
*-< (
-J
© American Map Company. Inc.. New York. #18328
30
-------
Figure 23
State of Hawaii—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
h 28-171,434
Transportation
Operation*
Agricultural
Operations /•
11
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
' Indicate* the number of reporta and th« number of fiah killed.
31
-------
Figure 24
State of Idaho—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
T'l
©American Map Company, Inc. New York. #18328
32
-------
Figure 25
State of Illinois—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
>t\
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
-------
Figure 26
State of Indiana—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
21-40.245
© American Map Company. Inc., New York. #18328
Marion County: 21 kills totalino. 40,245 fish
34
-------
Figure 27
State of Iowa—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
•+• 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
>
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
35
-------
Figure 28
State of Kansas—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000 000
© American Map Company, Inc.. New York. #18328
Transportation
Operations
12%
36
-------
Figure 29
State of Kentucky—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000 — 10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000 000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Transportation
Operation*
*>/„
37
-------
Rgure 30
State of Louisiana—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10 000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
4. over 1000000
15-19404
© American Map Company, Inc.. Now York. * 18328
Indicate* the number of reports and the number of fish killed
38
-------
Figure 31
State of Maine—Reported Fish Kills
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
/ (.. ..--•
isoMcmn
-N
mCATAQUtt
^
•
KMMCOT
. .'1
• A A AC
•N
A •
I
•
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
39
-------
Figure 32
State of Maryland—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
4-101.361.000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
* Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
40
-------
Figure 33
State of Massachusetts—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000 000
V,
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Transportation
Oparationi
1%
41
-------
Figure 34
State of Michigan—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Municipal Operations
26%
© American Map Company, Inc.. New York, #18328
42
-------
Figure 35
State of Minnesota—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Transportation
Operation
3%
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
•+• 10000 — 100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
43
-------
Figure 36
State of Mississippi—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
4. over 1000000
Transportation
Operations
Municipal Operations
25%
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
44
-------
Figure 37
State of Missouri—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
*g
f • ST tOOIS
JCUV
^-* 8-67,200
,15-19.990
>mpany. Inc., New York, 018328
* Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
45
-------
Figure 38
State of Montana—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company, Inc.. New York. #18328
Municipal
Operations
">% / industrial
Operations
19%
46
-------
Figure 39
State of Nebraska—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Industrial
Municipal \0perations
Operations \ 9°/<
11%
47
-------
Figure 40
State of Nevada—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 — 1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
48
-------
Figure 41
State of New Hampshire—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
49
-------
Figure 42
State of New Jersey—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company. Inc., New York, #18328
indicates the number of reports, number of fish killed, and county where kill occurred.
50
-------
Figure 43
State of New Mexico—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961 —1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, £18328
51
-------
Figure 44
State of New York—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 — 1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York. #18328
52
-------
Figure 45
State of North Carolina—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
f*WI Slut.**
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
53
-------
Figure 46
State of North Dakota—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
T1"1 ^T4.T«j««ir""T5riiNuir"<^""™""~—* •^"™~"T3»«~"TM»»ifir~~"^
z i * r r *
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
54
-------
Figure 47
State of Ohio—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
| 11-16615
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Indicates the number of reports and the number of fiih killed.
55
-------
Figure 48
State of Oklahoma—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American M«pCo«tip«nv. ht. New Vortt. #18328
56
-------
Figure 49
State of Oregon—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000—10000
•f 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000 000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
57
-------
Figure 50
State of Pennsylvania—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 100QO—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
fp^*« £
|A.»« +
!• A • •
'• A + A
• • A • >
; • • A
£ ._•*
jA"sr
+ •
!• m.
+ ^"]
k+ + +
• A* •
• •
X X
( V^~
A/ir-..w
r^»
• •
• ,
JT +
A J
1 A
IrOHCST
» A
•\r—
^j-JojUMOH
• •
k .
4r
I HcKCAN
1 • + •
• • A
A
• • A
V A * "~ c«x«k»
AB • A
\:? \
nttiEii
A
•+•
v
-\
*\
j 0-MTOM
I10G« U«AOfO«.
» * • . • +. ...
\ '
:* *• K * r
A JL__ f^
AX-n^= -/
CVJOMM6 \A v /
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\.+ AV Vxr/*
W«6 /«"
4. /A
-— -^ ^A
^^W*:.
'V..
+<
A •
/
X
CHESTER
LANCASTER
YORK
© American Map Company, Inc.. New York, * 18328
•BERKS COUNTY: 47 KILLS TOTALING 129,000 FISH
•BUCKS COUNTY: 33 KILLS TOTALING 196,000 FISH
•CHESTER COUNTY: 38 KILLS TOTALING 83.200 FISH
•LANCASTER COUNTY: 41 KILLS TOTALING 197,700 FISH
•LEHIGH COUNTY: 20 KILLS TOTALING 82,100 FISH
•MONTGOMERY COUNTY: 24 KILLS TOTALING 58,200 FISH
•NORTHAMPTON COUNTY: 54 KILLS TOTALING 178,300 FISH
•YORK COUNTY: 45 KILLS TOTALING 190,000 FISH
'Indicates the number of reports, number of fish killed,
and county where kill occurred.
58
-------
Figure 51
State of Rhode Island—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 —1975
Fish Kills by Size
1—100
100—1000
1000 — 10000
10000—100000
100000—1000000
over 1000 000
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, * 18328
59
-------
Figure 52
State of South Carolina—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Rsh Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10 000—100 000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company. Inc., New York. #18328
60
-------
Figure 53
State of South Dakota—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+• 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
61
-------
Figure 54
State of Tennessee—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
28-242,086
21-1,083,603
14-354,213
23-132,521
•x
13-4.204,435
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
' Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
62
-------
Figure 55
State of Texas—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961-1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A looo—ioooo
+ 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
343
313
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Note:
See list of fish kills,
by reporting counties,
which follows.
63
-------
State of Texas—List of Rsh Kills, by Reporting Counties
State code
001
005
007
009
013
025
027
029
035
039
041
057
061
067
071
073
075
077
081
083
085
089
093
101
105
_107^
111
113
117
121
123
127
129
133
139
141
143
149
157
161
167
171
181
183
187
County name
Anderson
Angelina
Aransaw
Archer
Atascosa
Bee
Bell
Bexar
Bosque
Braroria
Brazos
Calhoun
Cameron
Cass
Chambers
Cherokee
Childress
Clay
Coke
Coleman
Collin
Colorado
Comanche
Cattle
Crockett
Crosby
Dallam
Dallas
Deaf Smith
Denton
Devritt
Dimmit
Donley
EasrJand
Ellis
El Paso
Eratti
Fayette
Fort Bend
Freestone
Galveston
Gillespie
Grayson
Gregg
Guadalupe
Number
of reports
6
6
2
2
1
5
9
38
3
45
2
10
6
2
19
3
2
3
5
1
4
4
2
1
1
1
3
13
5
6
2
2
2
10
3
81
2
1
7
2
Number of
fish killed
3,100
10,450
1,000
0
1,000
2,508
9,100
342,450
4,250
2^95,970
600
2,121
5.015,000
1,505
15,687,400
16,000
0
1,000
47,000
0
5.000
600
1,000
0
0
5,000
9,000
164,516
1,000
2,450
2,000
0
0
500
0
3,000
350
200
35,813
5,500
18,546,526
2,000
0
54,850
1,000
State code
193
199
201
203
209
211
217
221
225
227
231
233
235
237
239
245
251
253
257
265
277
'28]
285
287
289
291
293
295
299
303
307
309
313
315
321
323
325
327
333
335
339
341
343
347
349
County name
Hamilton
Karelin
Harris
Harrison
Hays
Hemphill
Hill
Hood
Houston
Ufutmrft
nowaru
Hunt
Hutchiraon
Inon
Jack
Jackson
Jefferson
Johnson
Jones
Kaufman
Kerr
Lamar
Lampassa
lavaca
lee
Icon
Liberty
limestone
tipscomb
Llano
Lubbock
McCulloch
McLennan
Madison
Marion
Matagorda
Maverick
Medina
Menard
Mills
Mitchell
Montgonwy
Moore
Morris
Nacogdoches
Navarro
Number
of reports
2
4
78
6
2
1
2
2
2
1
2
5
2
2
1
16
4
5
4
1
2
7
10
1
2
4
5
1
3
S
, 5
7
2
7
13
1
4
2
2
7
10
1
11
9
3
Number of
fish lulled
1,000
100
22,746784
2.500
1,500
0
0
1,500
5,100
500
0
8.000
0
1,000
200
135750
1,157
350
100
300
0
1,075
24,400
5,000
300
1.250
750
0
750
1,240
100
8,994
2^)00
1,764
105,731
1.000
3,300
1,300
1,000
6,600
33310
1,000
900
32700
500
State code
351
353
355
361
363
365
369
371
373
381
389
391
395
399
401
407
417
419
423
425
429
439
441
449
451
453
455
459
463
465
467
469
471
473
475
481
485
487
489
491
497
499
503
507
County name
Newton
Nolan
Nueces
Orange
Palo Pinto
D*MJtla
ronOU
Farmer
PBCOS
Polk
Randall
Reeves
Refugio
Robertson
Runnels
Rusk
San Jatinto
Shackelfbrd
Shelby
Smith
Somerveil
Stephens
Tarrant
Taylor
Titus
Tom Green
Travis •:
Trinity
Upshur
Uvalda
Val Verde
VanZandt
Victoria
Walker
Waller
Ward
Wharton
Wrtehrta
Wilbarger
Willacy
Williamson
Wise
Wood
Young
Zavala
Number
of reports
1
5
13
2
1
2
2
3
3
10
3
1
5
3
6
3
1
1
2
2
1
13
2
6
11
13
3
1
1
2
3
4
2
1
2
6
5
1
1
1
3
2
5
3
Number of
.fish killed
1,737
2,100
106,978
550
500
10,000
3,000
1,500
600
292,000
1,685
2,500
12750
0
1,350
0
0
0
0
1700
0
47700
10,000
1,400
15.300
119,700
3,000
0
500,000
2700
50
550
2750
0
0
3,000
1,050
750
1,000
1X100
1,700
900
11,006
2,000
64
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Figure 56
State of Utah—Reported Fish Kills,
by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Transportation
Operations
13% / Municipal
Operations
13%
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
65
-------
Figure 57
State of Vermont—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+• 10000 — 100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
66
-------
Figure 58
State of Virginia—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+• 10000 — 100000
X 100000 — 1000000
over 1000000
3-998*
12-162,376
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
* Indicates the number of reports and the number of fish killed.
67
-------
Rgure 59
State of Washington—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961—1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• iioo—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
© American Map Company. Inc.. New York. #18328
Transportation
Operations
3%
68
-------
Figure 60
State of West Virginia—Reported
Fish Kills, by Size and Percentages
of Causes, 1961 — 1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000 — 10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
Agricultural
Operation
1%
69
-------
Rgure 61
State of Wisconsin—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961—1975
Municipal Operations
23%
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100—1000
A 1000—10000
+ 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
©American Map Company, Inc., New York. #18328
70
-------
Figure 62
State of Wyoming—Reported Fish
Kills, by Size and Percentages of
Causes, 1961 — 1975
Fish Kills by Size
• 1—100
• 100 — 1000
A 1000 — 10000
+• 10000—100000
X 100000—1000000
over 1000000
Transportation, .. . . .
Operations/ Municipal
7% / Operations
14%
© American Map Company, Inc., New York, #18328
71
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Appendices
Introduction
Appendix A lists the State agencies
actively participating in the fish kill
reporting program. Observers are
encouraged to report any sightings of
dead fish to their appropriate State
agency. Since, if the cause is not readily
apparent, time is important to an
investigation, reports should be
submitted as soon as possible, preferably
by telephone to the local offices of the
agency (game wardens, for example). If
no local office is present, reports can be
mailed to the agency at the addresses
shown.
Appendix B is a reproduction of the
report form showing information desired.
It is recognized that the casual observer
cannot normally provide much of the
information; however, location, estimates
of the number of dead fish and tissue
and date of the observation are
extremely important. Also important is
the probable source of pollution where it
can be identified.
Appendix C defines pollution sources in
terms of the type of operation involved.
Since the number of dead fish may not
be indicative of the severity of the
pollution, proper State officials should be
notified even when only a small number
of dead fish are seen floating on a water
body. In cases where the fish kill was due
to causes other than man-created
pollution, State officials are still
interested in determining the cause, and
should be nofified.
73
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Appendix A
State Agencies
Alabama Department of Conservation
Game and Fish Division
Fisheries Section
64 North Union Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Water Improvement Commission
Surveillance and Monitoring Section
749 State Office Building
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Department of Fish and Game
Habitat Protection Section
Subport Building
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Arizona Game and Fish Department
2222 West Greenway Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85023
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Fisheries Division
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
California Department of Fish and Game
Environmental Services Branch
1416 Ninth Street
Sacramento, California 94814
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Wildlife
6060 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80216
Connecticut Board of Fisheries and Game
Fish and Water Life Unit
Department of Environmental Protection
State Office Building
Hartford, Connecticut 06115
Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Control
Division of Fish and Wildlife
Fisheries Section
Dover, Delaware 19901
Florida Department of Environmental
Regulation
2562 Executive Center Circle, East
Montgomery Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
Georgia Game and Fish Commission
Trinity-Washington Street Building
270 Washington Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Division of Fish and Game
1179 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Idaho Fish and Game Department
Bureau of Fisheries
P.O. Box 25
Boise, Idaho 83707
Illinois Department of Conservation
Division of Fisheries
605 State Office Building
400 South Spring Street
Springfield, Illinois 62706
Indiana State Board of Health
Division of Water Pollution Control
Water Quality and Standards Branch
1330 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Iowa State Conservation Commission
300 4th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game
Commission
P.O. Box1028
Pratt, Kansas 67124
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources
Capital Plaza Tower
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Louisiana Stream Control Commission
Drawer F.C., University Station
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Fish and Game Department
State Office Building
Augusta, Maine 04330
Maryland Department of Water
Resources
State Office Building
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Massachusetts Department of Natural
Resources
Division of Marine Fisheries
State Office Building
Government Center
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02202
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and
Game
Field Headquarters
Westboro, Massachusetts 01581
Water Resources Commission
Department of Natural Resources
Stevens T. Mason Building
Lansing, Michigan 48926
Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources
Division of Fish and Wildlife
390 Centennial Building
St Paul, Minnesota 55155
Mississippi Air and Water Pollution
Control Commission
P.O. Box 827
Jackson, Mississippi 39205
Missouri Department of Conservation
1110 College Avenue
Columbia, Missouri 65201
Missouri Department of Conservation
Division of Fisheries
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Department of Fish and Game
Room 134, Cogswell Building
Helena, Montana 59601
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
2200 North 33rd Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68503
Nevada Department of Fish and Game
P.O. Box 10678
Reno, Nevada 89510
New Hampshire Water Supply and
Pollution Control Commission
P.O. Box 95
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
Division of Fish, Game and Shellfisheries
Bureau of Fisheries Laboratory
Lebanon, New Jersey 08833
New Mexico Department of Game and
Fish
State Capitol
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Department of Environmental
Conservation
Albany, New York 12201
North Carolina Department of Water and
Air Resources
Box 27048
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Fisheries Division
1031/z South Third Street
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Wildlife
Fountain Square
Columbus, Ohio 43224
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation
Fisheries Division
1801 North Lincoln Bouelvard
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
74
-------
Fish and Wildlife Commission
307 State Office Building
Portland, Oregon 97201
Pennsylvania Fish Commission
P.O. Box 1673
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Rhode Island Department of Natural
Resources
Division of Fish and Wildlife
83 Park Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
South Carolina Wildlife and Marine
Resources Department
Division of Game
P.O. Box 167
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish
and Parks
Division of Game and Fish
State Office Building # 1
Pierre, South Dakota 57501
Tennessee Game and Fish Commission
Doctors Building, Room 600
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Fish and Wildlife Division
John H. Reagan Building
Austin, Texas 78701
Utah Department of Natural Resources
Division of Fish and Game
1596 West North Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
Vermont Fish and Game Department
Research and Management Center
Roxbury, Vermont 05659
Virginia State Water Control Board
Bureau of Enforcement
P.O. Box 11143
Richmond, Virginia 23230
Washington State Department of Ecology
P.O. Box 829
Olympia, Washington 98501
West Virginia Department of Natural
Resources
Division of Wildlife Resources
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Bureau of Standards and Surveys
Box 450
Madison, Wisconsin 53701
Department of Natural Resources
Bureau of Water Quality
Box 450
Madison, Wisconsin 53701
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Box 712
Lander, Wyoming 82520
75
-------
Appendix B
Report of Pollution Caused Fish Kill
Sample Form
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Form Approved OMB No. J58-R0036
.. , VASHiNCToZo'.'^;.^ "" F°« •>"• "« ONLY
REPORT OF POLLUTION-CAUSED FISH KILL
1 A. LOCATION fJVame of Body of Wafer; Latitude-Longitude; 2. DATE OF KILL
B. NEAREST TOWN AND COUNTY C. STATE 3. TYPE OF WATER
(23 F'ESH fl SALT ["3 ESTUARY
4. POLLUTION SOURCE-TYPE OF OPERATION
A. AGRICULTURAL OPER- B. INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS C. MUNICIPAL OPERA-
ATIONS TIONS
23«»ISOIISfPeetlclde». «tc; [23MI»'NS 123 METALS [2] SEWERASE SYSTEM
23 FERTILIZERS (23 CHEMICALS [23 PETROLEUM | | REFUSE DISPOSAL
1 MANURE DRAINACC, ENSI- ( 1 FOOD AND KIN- f~| PAPER AND ALLIED 1 E WATER SYSTEM
— LASE LIQUORS. OR FEED L— ' DRED PRODUCTS ^ PRODUCTS M . . . « -„
LOT OPERATIONS , . , i 1 1 SWIMMING POOL
LOT OPERATIONS P] TEXTILES R RUBBER AND PLASTICS t=^ „,„_ ,„ .„ . . ,
IHANDLINC OF EQUIPMENT M . [_J POWER fputlic Serrice)
•— ' AND CONTAINERS LJ OTHER: f-| ,EST CONTROL
D. TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS E. CONSTRUCTION OR OTHER
23 RAIL (23 TRUCK (23 BARSE OR [23 CONSTRUCTION
23 PIPE- (23*'« "°" D OTHE"1
L— ' LINE "— '
F.
[~| UNKNOWN
" " -
G. SPECIFIC POLLUTANT OR FACTOR CHANGING WATER CHARACTERISTICS .
(Name of cnemical, themtaf diachartfe, etc.)
5. TYPE OF FISH KILL 6. EST. NO. KILLED 7. SEVERITY
CAME % LJ™™- |_JH"V» LJ"
OD. (23 LICHT
NON-SAME 1 8.EXTENT OF AREA AFFECTED 9. DURATION OF CRITICAL EFFECT
TOTAL 1OO% A. MILES OF B. ACRES OF A. DAYS
STREAM LAKE
COMMERCIAL %
10A. SPECIES OF FISH KILLED (11 known;
B. ADDITIONAL REMARKS (include effecta on otfier than marine lite, e.g., ahetlfian.
11. REPORTING OFFICIAL 12. AGENCY MAILING ADDRESS
B. HOURS
waterfowl, etc*;.
13. DATE OF
REPORT
EPA Form 7SOO-I (Rev. 9-78) PREVIOUS EDITION MAY BE USED UNTIL SUPPLY is EXHAUSTED.
INSTRUCTIONS: Upon completion fold card to show proper address and staple or tape long
edge together.
76
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Appendix C
Glossary
Sources of Pollution by Type of Operation
Fish kills may be caused by pollution
from a large number and variety of
sources. To facilitate reporting of kills,
these pollution sources have been
categorized according to the types of
operations (municipal, industrial, etc.)
producing the pollution. Following are
definitions of each operation to include
breakdowns into subcategories.
Agricultural Operations
Pollution from agricultural operations
results primarily from wastewater runoff
from fields where various chemical
compounds are used for pest control and
fertilizers. Runoff from feedlot operations
are also included under this category. In
addition, a probable cause of pollution
lies in the handling of various pesticides
or fertilizers, the cleaning of equipment
used to disperse these chemicals, and
the handling and disposal of the
containers.
• Poisons (Pesticides, Etc.)
Poisons include any of the "cides" used
at the site of agricultural operations,
which may be introduced into a water
body through a runoff after a rain or
through settling from the air.
• Fertilizers
This subcategory applies to commercial
fertilizers after they have been delivered
for use.
• Manure Drainage, Ensilage Liquors, or
Feed Lot Operations
In addition to the operations named in
this heading, this subcategory includes
other agricultural operations which may
be a source of pollution through poor
housekeeping practices.
• Handling of Equipment and Containers
This subcategory includes washing of
equipment, handling and storage of
pesticide or fertilizer compounds before
use, and container disposal.
Construction, or Other
• Construction operations such as the
building of highways, dams, industrial
complexes and other structures in or
near waterways, are a frequent source of
pollution.
The following are examples of the
"other" category.
• Large residential or custodial facilities
not connected to municipal sewers but
having their own system, for example,
Federal, State, and church institutions,
custodial institutions such as old folks
homes, universities, etc.
• Domestic service operations in
suburban or rural areas resulting in direct
discharges such as spent drycleaning
solutions and wash and rinse water from
coin laundries and dry cleaners, and
spent floor and paint cleaners.
• Highway restaurants, motels, resort
areas, and auto service areas which may
or may not have their own treatment
plant.
Industrial Operations
Industrial operations involve
manufacturing or processing industrial
and commercial products.
• Mining
Pollution from mining operations is most
often caused by acid mine drainage from
coal mines. In addition, coal washings
and taconite tailing disposal are included
here as well as side products from all
other mining operations, including
mining for ore, limestone, phosphate,
etc.
• Chemicals
This subcategory includes manufacture
of the following:
Basic chemicals such as acids, alkalies,
salts, and organic chemicals;
Chemical products to be used in further
manufacture such as synthetic fibers,
plastic materials, dry colors, and
pigments; and,
Finished chemical products for ultimate
consumption (cosmetics, drugs and
soaps); or to be used as materials or
supplies in other industries (paints,
fertilizers, and explosives).
• Food and Kindred Products
These operations include those involved
in preparing and processing fresh and
raw food items and other related
products for the market. Examples
include:
Sugar refining;
Canning, dehydrating, freezing, or curing
of fruits, vegetables, or fish and other
seafood;
Grain processing into flour, cereal
products, etc.;
Slaughtering or meat packing;
Dressing poultry;
Any milk-handling operation including
dairy farm, cheese factory, condensery,
creamery, or ice cream plant-
Breweries, wineries, or distilleries
operations;
Rendering plants or vegetable oil
manufacture; and.
Animal feed manufacture.
• Textiles
Textile production covers all milltype
operations, including bleaching and
dyeing processes.
77
-------
• Metals
This subcategory includes all operations
involving metals and plating (except
mining), such as blast furnaces, smelting,
rolling mills, pickling, heat treatment, etc.
Common sources of wastes are metal
cleaning solutions and plating vats which
contain large amounts of acid, cyanide,
copper, iron, chrome, and arsenic, all of
which are specific causes offish kills.
In addition, coke ovens and inefficient
clarifier tanks in steel mills add toxic
chemicals and turbidity to waste water.
• Petroleum
Petroleum covers oil or gas well drilling,
oil refining, and the manufacture of any
petroleum products.
• Paper and Allied Products
Paper and allied products covers paper-
making in any of its stages, including
resultant sludge deposits in streams or
lakes.
• Rubber and Plastics
This subcategory includes manufacture
from natural, synthetic, or reclaimed
rubber. It also includes manufacturing
involved in molding primary plastics for
trade, and miscellaneous finished plastic
products.
• Other Industrial
"Other" applies to those industries not
specifically designated. The following are
examples of potential entries under this
item.
Lumber and wood products production
including logging, chemical treatment,
and sawmill operations through the
finished product;
Leather and leather products processing
and production;
Sand and gravel washing; and.
Automobile manufacturing.
Municipal Operations
Municipal operations are those activities
that are the responsibility of the
municipality in providing public utilities
and other services.
• Sewerage System
Includes municipal sanitary and storm
sewers and combined sewers. The
wastes may be treated or untreated
before they enter or leave the municipal
system.
• Refuse Disposal
Refuse disposal concerns dumps, land fill
projects, etc., used for disposal of solid
wastes. The prime cause of fish kills from
these sources is drainage from these
areas, and deposits of ash from
incinerators into surface water bodies.
• Water System
Fish kills charged to water system
include kills caused by excessive use of
chemicals for pipe cleaning and for
algae, weed, and insect control in
reservoirs. A common source of kills
from this source is high chlorine
solutions drained from new pipe lines,
storage tanks, reservoirs, and pump
stations, which are used to sterilize new
water supply facilities.
• Swimming Pools
Fish kills charged to swimming pool
operations generally result from cleaning
operations or use of excessive chlorine.
This subcategory applies if pool drainage
is not connected to the city sewer
system, regardless of who owns or
operates the pool.
• Power (Public Service)
Power generation considered here is the
production of power intended for
consumption by the general public,
versus power generation necessary to
operate a manufacturing plant. Thermal
pollution is of prime concern, although
wastewaters such as that from boiler
blowdown sometimes cause fish kills,
most often during low flows.
• Pest Control
This subcategory of operations includes
spraying of ponds, creeks, marshes, or
use of other various methods of insect
control when the poisons used are
deposited directly into a waterway, as
opposed to being conveyed to the
waterway via a municipal sewer system.
Transportation Operations
The major source of pollution from these
operations is accidental spillage into
waterways of products in transit
regardless of source, destination, or
ultimate use.
• Rail
Fish kills charged to this subcategory are
caused by accidental product spills,
whether due to a wreck or by handling in
yards. Waste discharge from railyard
operations also applies here.
• Pipeline
Pipeline means those lines used to
transport liquids or gases for long
distances.
• Truck
A fish kill charged to this subcategory
most often results from a wreck, leakage,
or careless handling in transit and at
terminals.
• Air
This subcategory includes operation of
airports, which are frequent producers of
oily wastes and highly alkaline aircraft
washrack drainage, as well as aircraft
operations. It also includes aircraft
crashes which should be considered in
the same light as accidents involving
trains, trucks, boats, etc.
• Barge or Boat
Barge or boat operations may result in
pollution through spillage of products
resulting from bilge discharges, fire,
collision, sinking, or mishandling the
products while in transit. Transit, in this
case, includes transfer to or from the
vessel while docked.
Unknown
The unknown category is applied to a
fish kill when the pollution source
operation cannot be determined or
surmised, and the investigator is
reasonably sure that the kill was due to
pollution.
78
AU.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:1979 0—277-208
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