Lake Contamination Kills Fish, Bird In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Around 150 fish and a bird were killed due to excessive chlorine entering Lake Cook in Alexandria, according to the city government.

City officials had been notified of the fish kill and oil-like substance at Lake Cook, a city-owned lake along Eisenhower Avenue next to Cameron Run Regional Park. An investigation by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Alexandria Fire Department and Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services determined the issue was excessive chlorine entering Lake Cook from Cameron Run Regional Park, which has a waterpark. Around 60,000 gallons of chlorinated water from the park's play pool entered the lake over nine to 12 hours. The chlorinated water came from a pipe the operator thought connected to the sanitary sewer rather than the lake.

The fire marshal's office issued a notice of violation for the illegal discharge of chlorinated pool water and a blue substance used as a stain on the pool deck. NOVA Parks, which operates Cameron Run Regional Park, has indicated it is taking steps to ensure a discharge issue will not happen again, according to a city statement.

The city said it was removing the deceased fish and placed floating beams on the lake's surface to keep residual material from entering the lake. Residents are reminded that Lake Cook is a catch-and-release site for fishing only and that fish from Lake Cook should not be eaten. The lake will be safe for catch-and-release fishing once cleaning is completed.

The lake, which is fed by Strawberry Run and feed into Cameron Run, is stoked with trout, catfish and other fish by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Some fish like bass and sunfish naturally occur in the lake. In November 2018, the lake was reopened and restocked with fish after a renovation. The renovation work converted the fishing pond to a stormwater wet pond to help filter pollutants out of the stormwater entering the waterway.

Anyone who encounters anything abnormal in the city's waterways is asked to contact the Alexandria 311 system. Hazardous spills should be directed to 911.