Rancid odors fill the air in Gages Lake after hundreds of fish die in Valley Lake
Residents of a northern Chicago suburb say the odor is overwhelming after hundreds of fish died off in a neighborhood lake.
The fish kill-off happened in Valley Lake in the suburb of Gages Lake, and the smell has been keeping many from enjoying the park during an otherwise optimal summer period.
"It's terrible. I can't even open my windows the first clear, low-humidity day to air out the house and I can't. I've got to leave the air conditioning on," neighbor Frank Mazzuca said.
Mazzuca has lived in Gages Lake for nearly three decades. He said he's seen his share of algae issues in the past, but never a massive fish kill. He said he noticed a lot of fish by the shore on Tuesday morning, and then saw hundreds surrounding the lake the following day.
Kristina Mitsko said she could smell the fish beginning Tuesday.
"There's a lot of fish. At first, we thought there was some sort of muggy — we're not sure what it is. Yesterday, we were passing by and walking around. We couldn't figure it out," she said. "Then it started to smell pretty bad."
Wildwood Park District, which assumes responsibility for the lake, said in a statement that it is "working with the Lake County Health Department and have been in contact with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in efforts to identify the potential cause of this event and to assess current water conditions."
The park district says the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center took a dissolved oxygen reading as low as 0.6 milligrams per liter. Fish begin to stress at levels below 5 milligrams.
They say during the summertime, water temperatures can be higher, and the water holds less oxygen.
Heavy rain, like Monday, can bring in large amounts of organic material, and that can also be oxygen-consuming for the fish.
"You really need to do a better job and pay attention to the residents on the lake when they tell you that the lake is not in good shape, and get it taken care of," Mazzuca said.
The park district says they're looking to remove the dead fish by Thursday.
