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Atlanta tunnel overflow probed in major fish kill
An underground tunnel overflowed for four hours before a massive fish kill along the Chattahoochee River, according to the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.
ATLANTA - City officials are turning to independent investigators to determine what caused thousands of fish to suffocate in the Chattahoochee River last month following heavy rainfall.
Peachtree Creek tunnel investigation
What we know:
Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management hired an outside contractor to run a separate probe into the massive die-off. Investigators are focusing on an underground tunnel near Peachtree Creek in Northwest Atlanta that overflowed for about four hours before the fish died.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper previously stated that low water levels combined with stormwater runoff and sewage overflow dropped oxygen levels drastically. This deadly mix created a suffocating kill zone that stretched for at least 20 miles along the river.
Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Greg Eyerly noted the tunnel has operated for over 15 years and has only overflowed three times. An internal investigation is moving forward alongside the new third-party review.
Atlanta environmental data gaps
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet determined the final cost of hiring the outside contractor for the independent investigation. It could take months for all of the separate inquiries to wrap up and deliver a final solution.
"If there is a link between what came out of the tunnel and the fish kill, then we wouldn't know what that is," Eyerly said. "Presently, we don't have a good explanation of what else it could be. And so that's why we're focusing in on the tunnel."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, who detailed their ongoing investigation and utility data, as well as environmental reports from the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.