Lots of dead fish in Lake Peachtree City Saturday got the city government’s attention, leading to an explanation and a promised clean-up.
“The City of Peachtree City is aware of the fish die-off in Lake Peachtree,” a city news release said Saturday. “Staff has been monitoring the situation and has consulted with a fish biologist, who indicates the lake has ‘turned,’ reducing oxygen levels in the water.
“This occurs in all area lakes. After a quick temperature drop in the top 18 inches of water, that water sinks to the bottom, thus ‘turning’ the water. The lowered level of Lake Peachtree, which is required for the spillway construction, probably contributed to the turn due to the reduced area of deeper levels of water for the existing fish population.
“The die-off is primarily of gizzard shad, which were most likely introduced to the lake as bait fish and are especially susceptible to low oxygen levels.”
City crews were scheduled to clean up the fish on Monday.
