Lansing and EGLE find detergent likely to blame for hundreds of dead fish in park pond

Lansing and state environmental officials are cleaning up a city pond and stream after a suspected detergent spill caused the death of hundreds of fish.

Residents living near Tecumseh Park alerted city staff last week of the fish kill.

Andy Kilpatrick is Lansing's Director of Public Service. He says this doesn't usually happen in smaller bodies of water.

"This is unique, and the residents that have called in said they hadn't seen anything like this."

Employees discovered foamy water entering the pond through a storm sewer and tracked the foam upstream to a property along Grand River Avenue.

Kilpatrick says staff worked with the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to test the affected water.

He says that testing showed low dissolved oxygen levels from what he believes was detergent in the water.

Kilpatrick adds residents did the right thing by reporting the fish kill.