WASHINGTON — The sickening odor of dead fish drifted through the heavy, humid air Tuesday morning at the Constitution Gardens pond in D.C. where the recent oppressive heat wave caused a significant fish kill, according to the National Park Service.
Crews carrying skimmers worked to clear numerous fish carcasses from the pond, which is about 3 feet deep.
“Because the pond is so shallow, the water temperature can rise dramatically in a relatively short amount of time,” said National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst.
“We certainly suspect that the water temperature rose above the tolerance level of the fish that are in there.”
Hot weather also promotes the growth of algae which can lead to less oxygen in the water.
“The last time this occurred on a scale this large was 2013,” Litterst said.
The National Park Service is working on plans to redevelop that pond which sits near the World War II Memorial. The agency wants to improve the long term water quality by making the pond 12 feet deep and installation aeration rings to help with oxygen flow, among other things.
“As we move to implement the rehab of Constitution Gardens in the coming years, hopefully, that will take care of some of these problems,” said Litterst.
