The NSW Environment Protection Authority says investigations are continuing into a fish kill event in the Hunter River at Mount Thorley, with officers on site daily since the issue was reported last week.
The EPA was informed of the fish kill by government agencies on Friday 20 March and has since been collecting water samples and following up information provided by the local community. Laboratory testing is being treated as a high priority.
EPA Director of Operations David Gathercole said officers have observed live fish, including juvenile fish fry, as well as fish believed to have died earlier in the event. He said this may indicate the cause of the fish deaths has passed, but investigations are continuing.
Mr Gathercole said fish kills can occur for a range of reasons, including natural causes such as low oxygen levels, or human causes like pollution or pesticide spills. He said water quality testing would continue until results are confirmed to be within normal limits.
As a precaution, the EPA is advising people not to drink untreated river water and encouraging downstream users to delay water extraction if possible. A multi‑agency meeting has been established involving state government agencies, Singleton Council and key stakeholders to ensure a coordinated response.
