McLoud Run fish kill followed break in Cedar Rapids water line

CEDAR RAPIDS — A fish kill was observed Thursday when a Cedar Rapids city water line broke and discharged chlorinated water into McLoud Run, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday afternoon.

The main break occurred overnight Thursday in the city’s northeast quadrant near Terrace Hill Drive Northeast and Evergreen Street Northeast, Cedar Rapids utilities director Roy Hesemann said in an email. It was found in the early morning and stopped shortly after discovery.

As of now, the cause of the break is unclear.

“The cause of the main break could be anything from pipe corrosion, ground shifting, water hammer or other causes,” Hesemann said. “The Iowa DNR also investigates all reported fish kills and works with the associated party or parties; these investigations can take weeks or months to be completed.”

Iowa DNR staffers responding to the event found that, following the accidental line break, chlorinated drinking water was discharged into a storm sewer and eventually flowed into McLoud Run, where it prompted a fish kill. As of now, it’s hard to determine how much water was discharged, Hesemann said.

The impacted water line has since been fixed, although dead fish may still be observed in the area. The city has not received information from the Iowa DNR regarding the number of dead fish nor their species.

The department will seek restitution from the city of Cedar Rapids to recover the value of the killed fish, but there is no fine involved because the discharge was accidental.

“It's kind of remarkable that clean water can kill fish, but that's what happens here with the chlorine in the water,” said Chris Gelner, an Iowa DNR senior environmental specialist. “Fish are very sensitive.”

McLoud Run — Iowa’s only urban trout stream — runs parallel to Interstate 380 before emptying into the Cedar River. The discharged water shouldn’t impact water quality or fish populations in the Cedar River, Hesemann said.

At least 10 fish kills previously have been reported in the waterway, according to the Iowa DNR’s fish kill database. Five were attributed to chlorinated water spills or discharges.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com