DNR - Lake Bowen Fish Loss Report

FISH KILL INVESTIGATION Lake Bowen Spartanburg County March 30-April 23, 2023

Amy Breedlove Chastain Fisheries Biologist, Assistant Fisheries Coordinator

Dan Rankin Region 1 Fisheries Coordinator

Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Emily C. Cope, Deputy Director

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. LAKE BOWEN FISH KILL INVESTIGATION........................................................................... 2 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 2 Initial Investigation .................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 1.

Fish kill location on Lake Bowen, March 30 – 31, 2023. ........................... 3

Primary Investigation ................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2.

Example photo of dead fish collected on Lake Bowen fish kill site on March 31, 2023. .......................................................................................... 4

Secondary Investigation ............................................................................................................. 5 Figure 3.

Example photo of dead fish collected on Lake Bowen fish kill site on April 14, 2023. ............................................................................................ 6

Results ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Table 1.

Number and percent of species composition of fish killed in Lake Bowen, March 31 – April 23, 2023. ......................................................................... 8

Table 2.

Replacement value of fish species collected in the DNR sample from Lake Bowen, March 31, 2023. ............................................................................. 8

Table 3.

Replacement value of fish species collected by Spartanburg Water from Lake Bowen, April 13 -April 23, 2023. ...................................................... 9

Table 4.

Investigative costs for the fish kill in Lake Bowen, March 31, 2023. ...... 10

Table 5.

Replacement cost of fish species from Lake Bowen, March 31 -April 23, 2023........................................................................................................... 10

Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 11 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................ 11

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LAKE BOWEN FISH KILL INVESTIGATION Summary South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Region 1 Fisheries Coordinator Dan Rankin and Fisheries Biologist Amy Chastain received notification from Spartanburg Water Manager Ken Tuck of a fish kill on Lake Bowen in Inman, SC on March 30, 2023. SCDNR was informed by Spartanburg Water that a contractor had administered an algaecide, Algimycin® PWF, on March 29-30, 2023. On March 31, 2023, SCDNR staff conducted a fish mortality enumeration from the 2.7 miles of shoreline on Lake Bowen affected by the algaecide treatment. Spartanburg Water personnel notified SCDNR of additional dead fish appearing from the algaecide treatment area on April 11, 2023. From April 13 to April 23, Spartanburg Water personnel conducted additional daily total pick-ups of dead fish in the initial treatment area and gathered representative fish lengths. In total, there were four (4) species collected with an estimated value of $55,395.70. Total investigative and restitution costs of the fish kill in Lake Bowen to the State of South Carolina totaled $60,924.49.

Initial Investigation Thursday, March 30,2023 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Region 1 Fisheries Coordinator Dan Rankin and Fisheries Biologist Amy Chastain received notification from Ken Tuck with Spartanburg Water System of an ongoing fish kill event on Lake Bowen in Inman, SC on March 30, 2023 at 1556 hrs. Jon Morgan and Ken Tuck with Spartanburg Water reported “several hundred” dead fish on Lake Bowen near the dam in the Doctors Cove area (Figure 1).

Ken Tuck advised that an algaecide, Algimycin® PWF, had been applied by a contractor (Copperhead Environmental Consulting) per algaecide prescription parameters. Ben Whitmire

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with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) was notified

by Spartanburg Water personnel and contact was made with SCDNR at 1707 hrs. At 1720 hrs, Ken Tuck advised that the fish kill had extended in area and that dead fish numbers were “in the thousands.”

Figure 1.

Fish kill location on Lake Bowen, March 30 – April 23, 2023.

Primary Investigation Friday, March 31,2023 After the initial investigation, SCDNR staff Biologists Chastain, Wood, Goyette, and Lamb, and SCDNR Technicians Roper, Ross, Hazel, Busby, Moore, Sharpe, Morris, and Administrative Assistant Chrislip met at the Lake Bowen boat ramp at 1030 hrs on March 31, 2023. Sampling followed American Fisheries Society Guidelines for Investigating Fish Kills (Southwick and Loftus 2018). The fish kill occurred near the dam of Lake Bowen and

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encompassed an area of approximately 137 acres (Figure 1). No dead fish were observed outside this area. Wind and wave action had pushed most of the floating fish onto the shoreline. Therefore, the shoreline was measured (yards) using Google Earth to conduct the investigation. The affected shoreline (4,766 yards) was broken into 100-yard segments throughout the length of the fish kill.

Eight randomly selected segments were picked for fish enumeration, which equated to sampling 17% of the total affected shoreline. Fish that were lying on the bottom or fish that were beyond reach (under docks) were tallied, all others were collected inside these eight selected segments.

Fish were processed on-site and separated by species, measured to the nearest inch group, then counted. Figure 2 shows pictures sent to SCDNR by Ken Tuck with Spartanburg Water.

Figure 2.

Example photos of dead fish collected on Lake Bowen fish kill site on March 31, 2023.

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Secondary Investigation On April 11, 2023, Jon Morgan with Spartanburg Water contacted SCDNR fisheries biologist Amy Chastain to report approximately 30-50 catfish floating in the initial area of the fish kill near the dam. Mr. Morgan noted that no dead fish were observed outside of the initial fish kill boundary. Based on the description of fish by Mr. Morgan and pictures received (Figure 3), fish appeared to be affected by the incident that took place on March 30th. SCDNR technicians Chevy Roper and Ryan Ross were deployed to confirm that these fish were those that had laid on the lake bottom and just recently floated to the surface. It is noted throughout Southwick and Loftus (2018) that during most fish kill events not all dead fish are observed, essentially not all fish float to the top of the water immediately after a toxicant is released into the system. Multiple variables, such as fish species, size of fish, and water temperature play a role in if (and when) a fish floats to the top of the water or sinks/stays on the lake bottom. The majority of fish observed in the secondary (delayed) kill were Channel catfish. Catfish are known to be a profundal (bottom-dwelling) taxa.

Algaecide injections to control deeper algae could explain heavy mortality of catfish. The severity of algae in the treatment area and the related consumption of DO during the algae decomposition process can also cause a delayed response to the appearance of dead fish several days to weeks after the initial fish kill. Parker (1970) observed that in lower temperatures (below 60℉) and deeper water, it could take up to 30 days for dead fish to make their way to the water surface.

On April 13, 2023, Jon Morgan contacted Chastain stating that approximately 450 fish, primarily larger Channel catfish, were floating in the initial kill area, the area of algaecide treatment. No dead fish were observed outside the algaecide treatment area. Spartanburg Water staff conducted a complete pick up of all floating dead fish and provided SCDNR with a fish species list, fish numbers collected by species, length measurements from a subsample of 30

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collected fish, and pictures confirming what was collected. Jon Morgan (Spartanburg Water) contacted SCDNR Regional Coordinator Dan Rankin on April 13 to coordinate how to best handle the “chronic” daily floating of additional dead catfish. After consultation with Chief of Fisheries Ross Self, SCDNR and Spartanburg Water agreed that SWS Lake Wardens would keep daily counts of dead fish until the event subsided. Additional fish were collected and enumerated from April 14 – 23, 2023 by Spartanburg Water.

Figure 3.

Example photo of dead fish collected on Lake Bowen fish kill site on April 14, 2023.

Results A total of 8,846 fish representing three (3) species were collected from Lake Bowen on March 31, 2023 (Table 1). Threadfin Shad was the most abundant species collected at 99.93% of the total. Other species collected were Bluegill (0.06%) and Channel Catfish (0.01%). Total

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number of fish collected from each randomly selected site were expanded to estimate the total number of fish killed over the entire 2.7 miles of affected river area. The expanded calculated total of fish killed for the March 31st collection was 52,403. The total monetary value (restitution cost) of the fish mortality event on March 31st was $42,123.45, based on 2018 fish kill replacement costs (Table 2). This figure was adjusted for inflation for the period 2018 to the present using the Consumer Price Index. The 2023 restitution value for the fish kill enumeration on March 31st is $50,948.39 (Table 2).

A total of 1,171 fish representing two (2) species were collected from Lake Bowen between April 13 - 23, 2023 by Spartanburg Water (Table 1). Channel Catfish was most abundant species collected at 99.91%, with only one Gizzard Shad (0.09%) being collected. Since this portion of the fish kill was a total pick up of all dead fish over the entire impacted area, no expanded calculations were required. Replacement costs for the Channel Catfish by inch group were determined by using a sub-sample of 30 measured Channel Catfish to obtain length frequency percent composition by inch group. Channel Catfish collected on April 13, 2023 ranged from 7 to 18 inches, with 86.7% being between 11 and 16 inches. This percentage was applied to each day’s total number of Channel Catfish picked up by Spartanburg Water. The total monetary value of the fish mortality was $3,676.81, based on 2018 fish kill replacement costs (Table 3). This figure was adjusted for inflation from 2018 period (AFS publication year) to the present using the Consumer Price Index. The 2023 restitution value for fish picked up by Spartanburg Water after March 31st (April 13-23) is $4,447.31 (Table 3).

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Table 1.

Number and percent of species composition of fish killed in Lake Bowen, March 31 – April 23, 2023.

SPARTANBURG WATER (4/13 – 4/23)

DNR SAMPLE (3/31)

Species Threadfin Shad Gizzard Shad Channel Catfish Bluegill TOTALS

Table 2.

# in Sample 8,840

% Composition 99.93%

1 5

0.01% 0.06%

8,846

100%

# in P/U

% Composition

1 1,170

0.09% 99.91%

1,171

100.00%

Expanded Calculated Total 52,368 1 1,176 30 53,574

Replacement value of fish species collected in the DNR sample from Lake Bowen, March 31, 2023.

DNR SAMPLE

Species Threadfin Shad Channel Catfish Bluegill TOTAL

Expanded No. Killed 52,368 6 30 52,403

TOTAL COST W/CPI ADDED

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Calculated Total Cost $38,429.09 $3,677.32 $17.05 $42,123.45

$50,948.39

Table 3.

Replacement value of fish species collected by Spartanburg Water from Lake Bowen, April 13 -April 23, 2023.

SPARTANBURG WATER

Species Gizzard Shad Channel Catfish TOTAL

No. in P/U 1 1,170 1,171

TOTAL COST W/CPI ADDED

Calculated Total Cost $2.81 $3,674.17 $3,676.98

$4,447.31

SCDNR investigative costs are presented in Table 4. Total expenditures were $5,528.79, which includes salaries and travel. Total replacement cost of the fish species collected during the investigation by SCDNR and Spartanburg Water totaled $55,395.70 (Table 5). Total cost of investigation (expenditures and replacement cost) of the fish kill in Lake Bowen and the loss to the fishery to the State of South Carolina totaled $60,924.49.

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Table 4.

Investigative costs for the fish kill in Lake Bowen, March 31, 2023.

Personnel Mileage/Gas Costs Expenses $1,279.94 $131.66 $296.27 $120.52 $276.81 $26.20 $293.86 $11.79 $278.53 $122.49 $262.76 $127.73 $343.37 $111.35 $278.53 $138.21 $236.19 $43.89 $223.94 $28.82 $151.03 $0.00 $744.91 $0.00 $4,666.15 $862.64

Fisheries - Region 1 Biologist III Biologist III Biologist II Biologist I Technician III Technician III Technician III Technician III Technician III Technician II Hourly Admin Assistant TOTALS

TOTAL INVESTIGATIVE COSTS

Table 5.

$5,528.79

Replacement cost of fish species from Lake Bowen, March 31 -April 23, 2023.

Species Threadfin Shad Gizzard Shad Channel Catfish Bluegill TOTAL GRAND TOTAL# w/CPI

DNR

SPBG

SAMPLE

WATER

Exp # Killed 52,368

# in P/U

6 30 52,403

1 1170 1,171 53,574

Calculated Total Cost $38,429.09 $2.81 $7,351.48 $17.05 $45,800.43 $55,395.70

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Discussion A copy of this fish kill investigation will be submitted to SCDHEC and to Spartanburg Water. Restitution will be requested through SCDHEC if enforcement action is taken otherwise SCDNR may seek restitution directly from Spartanburg Water.

Literature Cited Parker, R.O., Jr. (1970), Surfacing of Dead Fish following Application of Rotenone. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 99: 805-807.

Southwick, R.I., and A.J. Loftus, ed. 2018. Investigation and monetary values of fish and freshwater mussel kills. American Fisheries Society, Spec. Publ. 35, Bethesda, MD.

Prepared By: Amy Breedlove Chastain

Title: Region 1 Asst. Coordinator

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