Lake Pontchartrain fish kill reported
Residents in Slidell have spotted dead fish floating ashore on Lake Pontchartrain, just days after oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico was first spotted in the lake.
Darrin Johnson lives in Slidell and says he has seen thousands of dead fish and crabs in the canals near his home.
The first oil from the spill was spotted this week in the Rigolets and Lake Pontchartrain in the form of tar balls, and response crews began working quickly to protect the lake.
Scientists are testing the water and dead fish to find out what caused this week's fish kill.
While a thin oil sheen was clearly visible in the area where the fish died, John Lopez of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation said oil probably wasn't the culprit in this kill.
Still, he says, something like this is unusual, and he's taking water samples to test.
It will be Monday at the earliest before the test results are in.
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