Update On Tischer Creek Fish Kill: 1.7 Million Gallons of Drinking Water Released

DULUTH, Minn. — There is an update on the fish kill that happened in July in Duluth’s Tischer Creek.

State officials say the amount of drinking water released into the creek was much larger than first reported by the City of Duluth. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the initial report was 500,000 gallons from the Woodland Reservoir. The City has since revised that figure to 1.7 million gallons.

The MPCA says the drinking water contained a mix of chlorine and ammonia which they say is safe for humans to drink. But the CDC says that combination known as chloramine is toxic to fish and other aquatic life.

More than 1,000 fish were killed in Tischer Creek including Brook Trout. There was also a smaller leak on August 13. The potential impact from that spill is also being investigated.

The cause of the spills is under investigation. The City says it’s cooperating with that process. A statement from them reads:

The City of Duluth is fully cooperating with regulatory agencies conducting the investigation regarding the fish kill at Tischer Creek discovered on August 1.  

In the course of a maintenance operation on a nearby drinking water reservoir, the City of Duluth discharged clean, potable drinking water into the stormwater sewer system, which then flowed into Tischer Creek. The City of Duluth would like to reaffirm that the water discharged into the stormwater system on August 1 was safe, clean, and potable for humans and house pets as it left the reservoir. Normal precautions should always be taken when swimming, bathing, or ingesting in natural bodies of water like Tischer Creek.

The City of Duluth will not have further comment in light of the ongoing investigation.