Officials say cattle feed lot the cause of mass fish kill

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Over Memorial Day weekend, a startling discovery was made – thousands of fish dead along the shores of the Gasper River in Logan County.

After nearly a month-long investigation, the cause of the mass killing has been determined.

John Mura, Director of Communications for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, confirmed to WNKY that runoff from a cattle feed lot was the reason for abnormalities in the river’s water.

According to Mura, when officials tested the water they found high levels of e.coli and low, dissolved oxygen levels, both of which led to the death of every kind of species of fish in the river.

Mura says runoff from Woodward Feed Lot in Auburn, Ky. led to the polluted water levels.

Due to their violations, Mura said the feed lot was issued a Notice of Violation on June 19, which included three citations for each infraction.

The penalties for those violations could reach up to $25,000.

Mura also said that while he does expect the river’s water levels to return to normal, there is no current timetable as to when that will happen.