Toxic spill kills eels

FIONA GOODALL/East and Bays Courier

DISAPPOINTED: Glendowie resident John Fraiser says local children, including his two-year-old grandson Charlie, are upset the majority of eels have died.

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More than 50 eels are dead and several more have life-threatening burns after a toxic substance believed to be concrete was poured into a stormwater drainpipe polluting 600 metres of stream.

So far 51 eels have been plucked out of the stream between Riddell Rd in Glendowie and Carlyle St in St Heliers after the incident last Friday evening.

The remaining eels had burnt skin, gills and eyes because of the high alcalide content in concrete, and were not expected to live more than a few days.

One of the dead eels was 60 years old, more than one metre long and weighed more than 5kg. A few others were 30 to 40 years old.

Auckland Regional Council pollution response officer Graham Surrey says it's one of the worst fish kills he's seen in Auckland in his two years on the job.

Although the council is yet to find the source of the pollution, he says all factors indicate it was concrete.

"The majority of eels are gone. I would say it's about half a wheelbarrow of concrete. Concrete is highly toxic and doesn't take an awful lot to kill fish."

Mr Surrey says it could take decades for the stream and eel population to recover.

Glendowie resident John Fraiser alerted the council after his granddaughter Natasha Plummer noticed the stream had turned a milky white colour.

Natasha and her friends were playing near the stream on Friday afternoon when they saw a large eel that wasn't moving.

When they poked it with a stick to check it was alive, they found it belly up and coated with a flaky white substance.

"It's really disturbing," 11-year-old Manao Asaoka says.

"We've only seen two alive since the incident."

The girls say they were upset to learn the 60-year-old eel, which Natasha had named Eddie, had died.

Mr Fraiser says the pollution may also have poisoned a family of ducks, including 14 ducklings, that used to roam their backyard backing on to the stream.

Since the incident he has seen about six ducks.

"Whether that has affected them or not, I don't know. They could have died from the poison in the stream."

The Fraisers have lived in the area for 36 years and say many local children have names for the eels and feed them by hand on a daily basis.

"Teachers from Churchill Park School used to take classes of children to feed the eels.

"It's just sad. You try and teach your kids about respecting the environment and then someone does something like this."

Mr Surrey says it's likely someone laying a driveway had washed excess concrete into a stormwater drain because there are a few infill housing developments in the area.

With construction booming over summer Mr Surrey urges people to be aware of the effects it can have.

"People need to be aware concrete is toxic and can wipe out an entire stream.

"It affects everyone in the community," Mr Surrey says.

- © Fairfax NZ News