Fish hatchery accused of polluting
An environmental group sued PacifiCorp and California’s wildlife agency Tuesday over claims that a Klamath River fish hatchery is releasing pollution that is deadly to fish downstream.
Klamath Riverkeeper, part of an alliance headed by environmentalist Robert Kennedy Jr., filed suit in U.S. District Court in Sacramento alleging discharges from the hatchery violated the Clean Water Act.
At issue is the hatchery at the Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath near the Oregon border. The dam is operated by the California Department of Fish and Game and owned by PacifiCorp, a Portland, Ore.-based energy company.
High concentrations of fish parts, excrement and food released from the hatchery’s salmon and steelhead pens feed toxic algae blooms that have caused the Klamath’s salmon population to drop sharply, said Klamath Riverkeeper’s Regina Chichizola.
The department is also releasing drugs given to the hatchery’s fish into the Klamath in violation of state water regulations, Chichizola said.
The Fish and Game Department has been in discussions with Klamath Riverkeeper over the Iron Gate hatchery but could not comment further on the pending litigation, spokesman Steve Martarano said.
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