Officials are investigating the death of about 120 fish in Summit County’s Dillon Reservoir.
The fish were found by people passing by the reservoir near the Meadow Creek inlet on Thursday, and they told a Denver Water employee about the discovery, said Randy Hampton, a Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman.
As waters warm during the summer, oxygenation can occur and lead to fish kills, Hampton said. But that has been discounted in this case.
Investigators believe the fish, mostly suckers, were killed by “a one-time spill event,” Hampton said, in part, because there haven’t been additional deaths en masse since.
Denver Water, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and DOW continue to investigate the incident.
So far investigators have not been able to identify what was spilled into the reservoir, the largest water storage facility in the Denver Water system, but they have deemed the water safe.
There are no restrictions at the reservoir as a result of the fish kill, Hampton said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
