Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Dead fish, foamy substance — maybe gross but not toxic

Agencies investigating situation at Lake Mead, asking people to stay away from area

Lake Mead

Discovery of a mysterious brown, foamy substance and a number of dead carp in Lake Mead on Saturday has prompted a continued advisory and multi-day investigation by park authorities.

On Saturday, the substance and approximately 25 dead carp were found in the Overton Arm area of Lake Mead, stemming from the mouth of the Virgin River and stretching about 8 miles to Echo Bay, park spokeswoman Christie Vanover said.

The National Park Service sent out a warning asking people to avoid the area on Saturday, and investigators from the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Southern Nevada Water Authority were still looking into the case as of Tuesday, Vanover said.

Initial tests showed nothing toxic in the water, but researchers from the Southern Nevada Water Authority returned to the site Tuesday to take better quality samples, as the initial water samples were taken by a volunteer, SNWA spokesman Bronson Mack said.

Mack said that much of the situation is unclear and that there’s a chance the death of the carp and appearance of the foamy substance are unrelated. Wildlife death, such as the 2009 virus that killed thousands of carp, can be caused by any number of things, he said.

“Any given year, we can see some kind of change within the lake itself, whether it’s an algae bloom or it's dissolved oxygen within the water,” Mack said. “Some species in the lake can be more susceptible to those changes than others.”

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy