A Follow-Up

“It smells like a dump and sewage,” said Alfred Lobatos Jr., a nearby resident who was out biking with his son, Alfred Lobatos III, on Monday.

Both were perched curiously on the pier right by the crowds of local children playing in the park's playground. They were watching a neighborhood volunteer fish out the remaining dead catfish from the pond, using a branch and some netting.

Earlier they had watched the city's cleanup efforts. “One of the city guys said, 'The water's hot. It's not supposed to be like that,'” Alfred Lobatos III said.

Jose Ibarra, who works on maintenance for the facilities at Southside Park, watched the cleanup crew in action. “They just left with a trailer filled with fish,” said Ibarra. “Not full of it, but you know fish are heavy, so they had to come back.”

City spokeswoman Linda Tucker said the fish kill was the result of an algal bloom – a rapid increase in the population of algae – that quickly starved the pond of oxygen, killing fish and plants in large numbers.

A peculiar foul smell at the pond was noticed the week of Memorial Day. The city was contacted and sent out a contracted park management company, which confirmed an algal bloom...”

“Tucker said she is certain only one treatment is necessary, and that as the pond's health improves, the smell will dissipate.

About 30 dead fish were removed Sunday morning and about 80 dead fish were removed Monday. Tucker said the city would be out every morning until the situation is resolved.

Tucker was thankful that a voter-approved sales tax is providing funds to help maintain ponds in city parks. “As a result of Measure U, we now have the resources to hire a pond management company, helping us keep the ponds as healthy as we can,” she said.

There were no other reported fish kills in the 230 parks across the city.”

- Video: Algae kills scores of fish in Sacramento park's pondby Ellen Le.
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 11, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 3B

Last Modified: Thursday, Jun. 13, 2013 - 9:53 am

 Obviously, I can't take any credit on this. But it is the fastest I've ever seen the city to respond to such a thing. I think the combination of the meal and multiple complaints by nearby residents to the city and the paper worked out well. I also might not be totally insane.

Wild.

Faust.