Officials are now leaning toward the weather as the culpritbehind the fish deaths at Ball State's Duck Pond.
"This seems to have been a natural die off due to climaticchanges," Rich Huyck, director of the Muncie Bureau of WaterQuality, said.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management estimated1,000 dead fish in the pond on Oct. 20.
Tests of the water pointed to low levels of oxygen, possiblycaused by elevated temperatures.
The elevated temperatures the week before Homecoming may havecaused the decrease of oxygen levels to a point where the fish inthe pond could not survive, Huyck said.
Horst Siewert, retired professor emeritus of the Department ofNatural Resources and Environmental Management, has been studyingthe Duck Pond for 28 years and has never seen this happen before,he said.
When Siewert went to the pond on Oct. 21 he noticed that thedead fish all had their mouths open.
"When a dead fish has it's mouth open, 95 percent of the timethey have suffocated," Siewert said.
The fish in the pond are primarily carps, suckers and greensunfish. Every fish requires a different amount of oxygen, and carpusually require the least amount.
"When you kill carp the situation is very serious," Siewertsaid.
Test results showed that oxygen levels had reached .05 parts permillion, Siewert said. Oxygen levels must be at least 2 parts permillion for fish to survive.
Ball State has put an aerator in the pond, which has helpedbring the oxygen levels up, Huyck said on Friday.
Although the oxygen levels were low, the Muncie Bureau of WaterQuality is not ruling out pollution yet.
Huyck said they are still waiting for two more test results, butthe company once suspected in the pond's changes are no longerinvolved.
A company from Indianapolis was replacing an elevator shaft Oct.20 and pumping into a nearby sewer. The sewer leads to the pond andinitially caused officials to believe chemicals the company hadbeen using killed the fish.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management sent a fax toOakwood Manor Apartments notifying them that elevator work was notthe cause of the fish deaths, Huyck said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
