West Virginia DEP & DNR monitoring ‘fish kill’ in Elkins area

ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — “Fish kill” is being monitored in the Tygart Valley River in Randolph County, according to the city of Elkins.

“Fish kill” or fish die-off is caused by a lack of oxygen in the water. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) , warm water holds less oxygen so the combination of high temperatures and low water levels can cause the fish to die.

The city said in a Facebook post that it does not pose any risk to the city’s drinking water, but the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources have been notified and are monitoring the situation.

According to the USGS , the Tygart Valley River in Elkins has been below 2 feet since Aug. 12, and as of Aug. 28, it was around 1.2 feet. It has remained lower than last year since the middle of June. It is running slightly higher downriver in places like Grafton and Philippi, according to USGS data.

The Tygart Lake, which gets its water from the Tygart Valley River, closed its marina back at the end of July due to extremely low water .

Other rivers and lakes throughout north central West Virginia are also running extremely low as the state continues to be under a state of emergency for drought conditions . Stonewall Lake has issued several warning to boaters about safety because of low water.

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