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Major untreated sewerage discharge in Lake Quinsigamond

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bob_G

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It's not just the raw sewerage, but the meds, which the sewerage systems DO NOT remove that pose a proiblem.

 

 

Miami Herald

Cocktail of drugs taint bonefish in Biscayne Bay and Keys, study finds. Blame sewage

David Goodhue
Fri, February 4, 2022, 1:00 AM·6 min read
 
A cocktail of prescription drugs — from blood pressure medications to opioids — has found its way into the flesh of South Florida’s population of bonefish, one of the state’s most sought-after game fish, according to a study released this week.

The culprits are septic tanks and an aging sewage system in South Miami-Dade County and a newer sewage system in the Keys designed to filter out fecal matter and other pollution, but not pharmaceuticals, researchers at Florida International University and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust say.

“The source of this contamination is human waste and a wastewater infrastructure that has been pressed beyond its technological capability and capacity, at least to meet the demands of today,” Jim McDuffie, president and CEO of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, said while introducing the study at Florida State University in Tallahassee Wednesday.

 

The conservation group and FIU released their collective research this week. They found 93 of the bonefish sampled in Biscayne Bay and on the flats surrounding the Keys since their investigation launched in 2018 had traces of an average of seven prescription drugs in their systems. And, researchers found an alarming 17 medications in just one single bonefish.

“Pharmaceuticals are an invisible threat, unlike algae blooms or turbid waters,” Jennifer Schopf Rehage, principal investigator and associate professor of Earth and the environment at FIU, said in a statement. “Yet, these results tell us that they are a formidable threat to our fisheries and highlight the pressing need to address our longstanding wastewater infrastructure issues.”

The list of 58 drugs found in the fish includes blood pressure, antidepressant and prostate treatment medications, along with antibiotics and pain relievers, including opioids.

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55 mins ago, zak-striper said:

Do people actually keep fish from that lake? Seeing what surrounds it, I'd only c&r from there even without the accidental discharge.

Years ago we used to keep smelt from there. Before the state killed them all. I’ve never eaten anything in the 50 yrs I’ve fished there. 

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46 mins ago, WorcBoy said:

Years ago we used to keep smelt from there. Before the state killed them all. I’ve never eaten anything in the 50 yrs I’ve fished there. 

I remember driving over the 290 bridge at night and seeing all the lanterns from the smelt fishermen. 

Why do you think the state killed them?

I remember when they died off in Walden pond during a hot summer. I think '88 ish.

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51 mins ago, WorcBoy said:

Years ago we used to keep smelt from there. Before the state killed them all. I’ve never eaten anything in the 50 yrs I’ve fished there. 

WB,

 

As you well know, people just don't fish in Quinsig.  They swim, water ski, and also kajak.

WB, my mom told me when she was a little girl, her father used to take her smelt fishing in the brook that drains into Quinsig. It was the brook that ran behind Notre Dame. This was probably going way back to the late 1930s or early 1940s.

The Sultan of Sluggo

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58 mins ago, bob_G said:

WB,

 

As you well know, people just don't fish in Quinsig.  They swim, water ski, and also kajak.

WB, my mom told me when she was a little girl, her father used to take her smelt fishing in the brook that drains into Quinsig. It was the brook that ran behind Notre Dame. This was probably going way back to the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Yes

my dad lived on wigwam hill dr right by the sisters. Coal mine brook. Self sustaining smelt population. There were 2 other spots where the smelt also spawned 

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24 mins ago, WorcBoy said:

Yes

my dad lived on wigwam hill dr right by the sisters. Coal mine brook. Self sustaining smelt population. There were 2 other spots where the smelt also spawned 

That's it, Coal Mine Brook!.   My mom told me about it, all she remembered was going into the woods in the dark, carrying kerosene lanterns.

 

Paul Kukonen told me  Quinsig was a local secret among brown trout fishermen. Brown trout grew fat and large feasting on smelt.  He told me there were a few guys who trolled smelt flies deep, on lead core or wire during the heat of the summer.  I'll bet no one even does it anymore.

 

The Sultan of Sluggo

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17 hours ago, bob_G said:

……

The treatment plant failed, and discharged a massive amount of untreated sewerage into the lake.  

They have no idea exactly how much. However the plant typically moves 3 million gallons daily.

 

 


Local news now reports 4 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the lake due to the pipe burst……..pumps and electrical equipment under 5 feet of water..

 

News reports say crews will install a emergency backup pumping station “so nothing like this will happen again”. 

Lesson to be learned here. 

 

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11 hours ago, WorcBoy said:

Years ago we used to keep smelt from there. Before the state killed them all. I’ve never eaten anything in the 50 yrs I’ve fished there. 

 

9 hours ago, bob_G said:

That's it, Coal Mine Brook!.   My mom told me about it, all she remembered was going into the woods in the dark, carrying kerosene lanterns.

 

Paul Kukonen told me  Quinsig was a local secret among brown trout fishermen. Brown trout grew fat and large feasting on smelt.  He told me there were a few guys who trolled smelt flies deep, on lead core or wire during the heat of the summer.  I'll bet no one even does it anymore.

 

So why did the state kill the smelt? :confused: 

 

I remember ice fishing there a couple of times back in the 90s. We were after pike. 

Pfantum Pfishah

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9 hours ago, bob_G said:

That's it, Coal Mine Brook!.   My mom told me about it, all she remembered was going into the woods in the dark, carrying kerosene lanterns.

 

Paul Kukonen told me  Quinsig was a local secret among brown trout fishermen. Brown trout grew fat and large feasting on smelt.  He told me there were a few guys who trolled smelt flies deep, on lead core or wire during the heat of the summer.  I'll bet no one even does it anymore.

 

We used to troll davis spinners with shiners and lead core. Also mooselook wobblers in bone/red dots. We never caught  any huge browns. There was a guy that lived on the lake who caught browns to 5 lbs. His boat was called "slo motion". 

Most fun we had for the browns was in the fall. They would congregate in a couple areas. best "lure" was a crawler cast to the edge of the fallen leaves and slowly reeled in. The browns would follow and a twitch of the worm would get a hit. Biggest was about 22-24". Fun on 5ft ul and 4lb test. 

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39 mins ago, WorcBoy said:

We used to troll davis spinners with shiners and lead core. Also mooselook wobblers in bone/red dots. We never caught  any huge browns. There was a guy that lived on the lake who caught browns to 5 lbs. His boat was called "slo motion". 

Most fun we had for the browns was in the fall. They would congregate in a couple areas. best "lure" was a crawler cast to the edge of the fallen leaves and slowly reeled in. The browns would follow and a twitch of the worm would get a hit. Biggest was about 22-24". Fun on 5ft ul and 4lb test. 

Slow Motion, that's it!  That was the name Paul Kukonen told me.   He told me the guy had fishing the lake down cold, esp during the summer months.

The Sultan of Sluggo

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