Fish kill on the salt fork/arkansas river

[Okie4570]

There was a large fish kill on the SF last summer in the Nash area. Until this last couple of months, the SF from Salt Plains to at least the town of Salt Fork, was nothing but a 4' wide, 12" deep stagnet mess, it flowed whichever way the wind blew. There were a few pools that were a 2-3' deep........it was in that condition for almost 3 years.

 

[dennishoddy]

I saw the same on the frontage I have. This year there is normal current running down the river. In my area, one would have to find a hole to get more than knee deep on a good year. Down the river about a mile is a huge hole, very deep.

 

[Ryan12322]

Crazy just unfortunate to lose some big cats like that..

 

[VIKING]

Dennis, remember when all the big cats died at Sooner. I don't remember ever hearing what killed them. But I'm with you. Low oxygen is not the problem with all the rain.

 

[justin_h635]

Dennis, remember when all the big cats died at Sooner. I don't remember ever hearing what killed them. But I'm with you. Low oxygen is not the problem with all the rain.

My guess is oilfield/industrial related. I read today that the o2 tests were just fine.

Puzzling to me was the paddlefish in the sfr. How far up do these go as I have never heard of one being seen up towards salt fork, Nash, etc?

 

[dennishoddy]

The paddle fish are typically caught around the HWY 177 bridge, and around the railroad bridge at White Eagle. I have seen one dead one several years ago in the deep hole just east of me on the west side of I35. I don't think there is enough water further west for them to go unless its high water levels, and then they get trapped, and die. That may be the reason I saw the one I did.

 

[dennishoddy]

I walked mile of the salt fork today after the combine broke down. 1/2 mile each direction from one of the places I farm.

I saw no fish other than 1" common minnows. I took two nets with me, one 1/4" mesh, and the other a really fine mesh used in large aquariums.

Seined several holes, not seeing anything but minnows. It's not unusual to have carp/gar in those holes, but none were to be seen. Drove to the Billings/Nardin bridge, looking down at the brush pile and hole under the bridge.

Nothing but common water snakes working the brush pile. Gar/carp are always in this hole. Nothing seen.

The river for all effective purposes is dead.

 

[Glock]

BIG business will pay a huge sum of money to keep this quiet. There will be a report, and cause, but no public responsible party. That's the word around my neck of the industry

 

[victor3ranger]

I heard a little bit of info about this yesterday from some of the ODWC folks. They seem to think that the kill was caused by a farmer who had sprayed his crop to kill a bad case of army worms, it rained that night and washed the poison into the Salt Fork.

 

[dennishoddy]

There is a lot of speculation going on right now. What I do know is there is going to be a special report on OETA, Friday night at 7PM.
I don't know the content of the report, but do know the ODW and a camera crew have been spending a lot of time on the river recently.
DEQ has also been involved. The fish kill is ongoing as late as yesterday afternoon where fish were seen dying.
It's been 3 weeks since the first report of a fish kill.
These are the only fish I found in my walk on the river.