[Mike]

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/772147.html

Wildlife experts believe that spring runoff is responsible for
killing dozens and dozens of fish, especially near the mouth of the
Papio in Bellevue.

The season brings out homeowners in droves and many are armed with
weed killer. Once the rains kick in, those chemicals wash off into
the storm sewers and into the waterways.

Environmentalists aren’t entirely sure what caused the recent fish
kill but they know what didn’t. There is no sign of industrial runoff.

That turns suspicions to urban runoff. Fertilizers and other lawn
products are possible culprits.

Greg Wagner, with Nebraska Game and Parks, says, “It just depletes a
lot of the oxygen those fish need to survive, especially in a
waterway like the Papio Creek.”

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has identified fish
kills in two more places along the Papio: 77th and Dodge and 25th
Street at Highway 370 in Bellevue.

But most of the problem is around the mouth of the Papio, where large
river fish take advantage of rising levels and swim upstream.

Fishermen are advised to wait a day or two after a rain before
wetting a fishing line.

Another key thing to remember about the kills is to leave the dead
fish alone and anyone who sees large amounts of dead fish should
contact Game and Parks.