Don't eat the fish in whitewater

[troutmaster]

http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2009/04/21/news/00lead.txt

[itchmesir]

wow.

[goblueM]

that is a real shame

[mark p]

The designated trout stream doesn't start until approximately 2.5 miles downstream from St Charles. I'm sure there were some trout killed, but if it the kill only occured over a 2 mile stretch of the stream then it was probably mostly chubs and suckers that died. It's a bad situation, but not as terrible as if it happened in the middle of the designated trout water.

[Odonata]

Regardless of where this occurred, it's not good. Anytime you dump chemicals into a stream, designated or not, it will have residual effects on the stream. Some not immediately recognizable.

[itchmesir]

Quote:

DNR: Area fire affected five miles of river

A fish kill in the Whitewater River two miles north of St. Charles is larger than environmental officials previously reported, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials said Tuesday.

Nearly five miles of the South Branch of the river was affected, more than twice what a Lanesboro area DNR Fisheries supervisor estimated Monday. Officials were not sure Tuesday how many fish have died from exposure to anhydrous ammonia after a fire Friday in St. Charles.

Trout fishing areas downstream from the contaminated area were not affected, and anglers who began their season Saturday should not worry, DNR spokesman Harland Hiemstra said. Whitewater State Park was also not affected, because the contaminated portions of the river were in its South Branch; the Middle Branch flows through the park.

Pollution control officials estimated about 500,000 gallons of contaminated runoff from the fire eventually flowed into the river.

.