AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN viewers reached out to us last week asking about a large number of dead fish they saw in a pond near Airport and Mueller boulevards. We reached out to the city of Austin on Aug. 8 to learn more.
On Monday, we heard back from Austin Watershed Protection, or AWP. It said its workers went to Mueller Lake Park from Aug. 7-10 to investigate the dead fish.
“We determined that the fish likely died due to low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the water quality pond, not a pollutant discharge,” an AWP spokesperson said in a Monday email. “DO levels can drop due to many factors, including high temperatures and direct sunlight.”
While fish live underwater, they do still require oxygen, like most organisms. Their respiratory systems evolved to extract oxygen from water.
According to AWP, the property management company estimated that 500 dead fish were removed from the lake last week.
“No additional dead fish were observed over the weekend,” AWP said.
AWP asks anyone who sees potential water pollution to call 311. It said their team is ready to inspect concerns “24 hours a day/7 days a week.”
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