Accident kills more than 100 fish at Fort Worth Botanic Garden
FORT WORTH -- More than 100 Japanese koi died in the Japanese Garden inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Wednesday after an accident during routine cleaning of fish ponds.
The parks staff cleans the ponds every two years by lowering the water level and herding the fish into metal stock tanks. The tanks are supposed to be filled with raw water from the Trinity River, but due to maintenance at a nearby water treatment plant, the line normally used to carry the raw water was filled with chlorinated water.
The chlorine level was not much higher than normal tap water, but that is still lethal to fish.
Workers began arriving at 7 a.m. Wednesday to continue cleaning out the pond. "The first one here discovered we had a problem," said Henry Painter, director of the Botanic Garden.
Workers moved the fish from the stock tanks into their regular pond. However, some of the 800 fish in the ponds continued to die throughout the day, and a half-dozen colorful Koi were floating on the surface of one of the ponds Thursday afternoon. Fort Worth parks director Richard Zavalla estimated the loss at $10,000 to $15,000. Officials said the pond used to be cleaned yearly, but due to staff cuts and funding restraints the job is now done every two years.
FORT WORTH -- More than 100 Japanese koi died in the Japanese Garden inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Wednesday after an accident during routine cleaning of fish ponds.
The parks staff cleans the ponds every two years by lowering the water level and herding the fish into metal stock tanks. The tanks are supposed to be filled with raw water from the Trinity River, but due to maintenance at a nearby water treatment plant, the line normally used to carry the raw water was filled with chlorinated water.
The chlorine level was not much higher than normal tap water, but that is still lethal to fish.
Workers began arriving at 7 a.m. Wednesday to continue cleaning out the pond. "The first one here discovered we had a problem," said Henry Painter, director of the Botanic Garden.
Workers moved the fish from the stock tanks into their regular pond. However, some of the 800 fish in the ponds continued to die throughout the day, and a half-dozen colorful Koi were floating on the surface of one of the ponds Thursday afternoon. Fort Worth parks director Richard Zavalla estimated the loss at $10,000 to $15,000. Officials said the pond used to be cleaned yearly, but due to staff cuts and funding restraints the job is now done every two years.
