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Marley Cooling Tower Company a February 7, 2003 <br />Groundwater Treatment System <br />San Joaquin County <br />Inspection Report <br />being restarted. <br />Board staff (AKJV and JST) observed and smelled many dead fish, including <br />bass, catfish, suckers, and carp, in the canal downstream to the weir, where the <br />heaviest concentrations of dead fish were present. No live fish were noted in <br />the water at any of the locations we visited. <br />No dead fish were observed in the canal in the vicinity of the outfall location. <br />Warden Oldfather informed us that some dead fish were located downstream, <br />at the railroad bridge crossing south of the Fremont Street bridge, and that <br />most of the dead fish she observed were located downstream from that, at the <br />remains of a concrete weir. <br />At the railroad bridge, approximately 5,800 feet downstream of the outfall, <br />approximately 100 dead fish were observed in the water. The fish appeared to <br />be mainly large carp, a few catfish, and smaller sunfish -type fish. A whitish, <br />hardened fihn was noted on the surface of the water near the edge of the canal <br />in this location. <br />Approximately 6,600 feet downstream of the there is a small concrete weir <br />foundation across the creek. During periods of lower water flow, such as <br />during the time period of the spill, the weir acts a dam across the canal. Water <br />flows over the weir, but at the time of our visit, the water flowing over the weir <br />was only several inches deep. The DFG personnel surmised that most of the <br />dead fish were located in this region as the fish were essentially trapped <br />upstream of the weir as they tried to flee the increasingly unsuitable water <br />upstream caused by the discharge. Eventually the pH water in the small pool <br />above the weir became alkaline to the point where the fish could not survive. <br />The DFG biologist said that a pH above 10 is acutely toxic to most fish. <br />Warden Oldfather said that she counted in excess of 600 dead fish at this <br />location. Ms. Morgan and Warden Oldfather indicated that they noted dead <br />fish as far downstream as the Waterloo Road (Highway 99) Bridge, where they <br />began their inspection of the canal. During our visit, there were approximately <br />several hundred dead fish along the banks of the canal in the water, and along <br />the top of the weir, including large (5 to 10 pounds, estimated) carp, and <br />smaller bass, sunfish, and catfish. <br />* The DFG requested that the dead fish be cleaned up as soon as possible, and <br />discussed this with MCTC and Ramos staff. <br />Ramos planned to dispatch cleanup crews over the weekend to collect and <br />dispose of the dead fish. Ramos also planned to have a crew and equipment to <br />clean the outfall, effluent pipeline, and soil and vegetation beneath the outfall. <br />7:45 pm * JSR called SRT to inform him that he and AKJV visited the site and that they <br />(SRT and JSR) would make arrangements to do field measurements at the site <br />on Monday (9/23) <br />11 <br />Approved: <br />