City staff have no official explanation for a fish kill in Holmes Run late this summer, but the suspicion points to improper winterizing at a nearby community pool.
City stormwater principal planner Gavin Pellitteri told the Alexandria Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) — full disclosure, this reporter is on the LEPC — there was an estimated 75-120 fish deaths in Holmes Run.
Pellitteri said a strip test revealed chlorine in the water, though he said everyone at the site could smell it even before the test.
While no specific source was found, Pellitteri said staff suspected it came from one of two community pools who were winterizing the pools earlier that day. When winterizing, pools sometimes discharge their water into local waterways. Pellitteri said the amount of chlorine in the pool was enough to cause a fish kill for 300 yards of Holmes Run.
Pellitteri also said there was a release of petroleum into Lucky Run earlier this month. In that case, too, the city could not find a source.
Pollutant booms were set up on Lucky Run and a nearby pond, and Pellitteri said no petroleum was introduced downstream. The booms were removed yesterday.
