Dozens of dead fish surface in neighborhood pond in Tampa

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Neighbors in a Westchase community are upset after dozens of fish died in a retention pond, surrounding several homes.

They said the first started dying a couple of days ago, and they want answers.

The pond is located near Countryway Boulevard and Northumberland Drive in northwest Hillsborough County.

The backyard of this neighborhood has a dead fishy smell with dozens of dead fish scattered on the land and in the water.

Neighbors said they knew something was wrong when they saw all of the birds flocking to the area.

“Obviously very disappointing and makes me upset to see everybody dying,” said neighbor, Daniel Banks.

Banks, and other residents, like Emily Brushwood, said when they look out of their homes, their view is a receding pond and several dead fish.

“I don’t know if it’s chemical or lack of oxygen because of how low the water has gotten,” Brushwood said. “I’m no expert but I knew something was really wrong for all these fish to have died.”

“You see the life in all of the ponds and all of the stuff, and you see it basically being removed and limited because someone did something wrong. I don’t like it, I don’t like it in my backyard, it looks terrible,” Banks said.

Brushwood said the smell is a strong stench that is preventing them from enjoying their peaceful backyard.

“It has been pretty rancid the last couple of days, certainly that had never happened before. It’s not enjoyable, we’re not going to sit on our back deck,” she said.

Brushwood said after Citrus Park Drive opened up and other ponds were created, the water from their own pond was drained.

Now, it’s a mystery as to how all these fish are dying.

“I think the biggest thing right now is to figure out if somebody put a chemical in this lake or what could have possibly happened to make all these fish die in just a couple of days,” she said.

Banks said there used to be flowers and grass right up to the waterline, and about five feet more of water.

“It’s very frustrating to look back out there,” he added. “This is not what I purchased this home with and it’s not what we have been used to looking at and it doesn’t look healthy.”

He said this is not the first time dead fish have surfaced, but hopes they come up with a solution to fix the problem and keep all the animals alive.

Hillsborough County said that according to their documents, the pond belongs to the Homeowner’s Association.

8 On Your Side reached out to the HOA, who said the pond is not theirs and is a special taxing district pond.

We reached out to the special district and they sent a statement saying:

“The district will look in the issue and have no further comment.”

Brenden Crawford, Assistant District Manager

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