A resident shared a photo of a fish from the creek. Photo: Dane Sandeberg/Facebook.
Test results are pending following reports of dead fish and frogs in Cooma Creek.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council said it received reports of the dead animals in the creek late on Tuesday (26 October).
“Our officers responded promptly to these reports, walking the banks of the creek to search for any deceased wildlife,” the council said.
The council spokesperson said one dead fish was found by officers, but no frogs.
Councillor Andrew Thaler pushed for an update during an extraordinary meeting.
He said he’d been “hit with” questions about the reported die-off before the meeting.
“Any suspicions? … Any likely chemicals? Is it the result of our works?”
In response, the council’s CEO Noreen Vu confirmed testing was underway to help determine the cause.
She said it was too early to speculate.
“It’s only just happened.
“We’re doing our best in terms of documenting it, doing water sampling. Staff have been down there to take photos and whatnot.”
Water samples from Cooma Creek have been sent to an authorised laboratory for testing and results are expected within the next week.
In its statement, the council ruled out a connection between the die-off and a sewer leak on Vale Street (between Egan and Denison streets) in Cooma.
The spokesperson said there was “no reason” to believe the two incidents were linked.
“Our team fixed the blockage, cleaned up and neutralised the small amount of sewer discharge. The issue has been fully resolved.
“Council does not believe that this small, localised sewer spill could have entered Cooma Creek and no other sewer leaks have been detected in the area.”
The spokesperson confirmed the incident was reported to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Public Health Unit at NSW Health.
“No source of contamination or other potential cause of the wildlife deaths has been identified at this stage,” they said.
Anyone with concerns about a similar incident can report them to council by calling 1300 345 345.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.