Major fish kill leaves Patterson landowner concerned
PATTERSON, La. (KLFY) -- A major fish kill in Patterson has a landowner concerned about who or what could have caused it.
Scott Green has owned the property in the area for about 10 years. In an interview on Wednesday, Scott showed KLFY News 10 what appears to be an oil sheen and sludge contamination in the waterways on his property.
"I don't what it is. I couldn't say, but I know it's not good," Green said. "I know it kills fish, it kills the vegetation, the grass. I mean, it's a major concern and I hope we find out, we get to the root of it."
Green said the issue has been ongoing for about a year but has become more prevalent over the past few weeks.
The story continues below the video.
Green said he contacted the Department of Environmental Quality and that they reported finding high levels of saltwater.
"What makes this unique is this is an enclosed system. So, there's no way for saltwater intrusion to get in here," Green said.
"So that kind of lets you know that it had to come in from, most likely a pipeline, when they do these hydro tests. And instead of disposing of the water and whatever chemicals they use... they dump that in the canals on the bank and every time there's a big rain all of that pollutant goes into the water and spreads throughout," Green said.
Green said there have been two major fish kills in the area this year.
The Coast Guard and the Department of Environmental Quality are investigating.
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