2020 Continues with Dead Fish Floating in the Concho River

SAN ANGELO, TX – If you have driven down Veteran's Memorial Drive in the past few days you might have noticed a fishy smell. 

That is because a number of the fish in the Concho River are dying due to oxygen depletion. 

Fish in the Downtown area are dying according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries of San Angelo. 

"We have seen this scenario happen most every summer on the Concho River. Since larger fish have a higher oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen crashes tend to impact larger fish over smaller fish," stated the Inland Fisheries of San Angelo's Facebook Page. "As the decay process slows, oxygen levels should begin to rebound."

The 2020 weather pattern caused the kill. The constant heat mixed with the sudden heavy rainfall, trash, organic material and stagnant water in the river stirs up into a water column and the process of decay uses up the oxygen in the water.

Texas Parks and Wildlife measures oxygen in parts per million (PPM) and around 11:30, on June 24, dissolved oxygen levels were under 2 ppm near the crossing near the high school. Dissolved oxygen was slightly better, but still poor, at the Oakes Street section at 2.3-2.8 ppm. Today crews on scene claimed that the oxygen levels were improving. 

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries of San Angelo has a catfish stocking scheduled for Friday. They will check the oxygen level prior to stocking.