Peter Meecham/Stuff
About 300 fish were found dead in part of Christchurch’s Heathcote River on Thursday. The cause of the deaths is not yet known.
Authorities want to hear of any “suspicious happenings” near a Christchurch river where 300 fish were found dead this week.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued a warning on Thursday for people to avoid parts of the Heathcote River/Ōpāwaho following a suspected “discharge incident”.
About 300 fish were found dead in the river earlier that day, it said.
On Friday, ECan’s Nathan Dougherty said the regional council’s investigation team was requesting help from the public to figure out what happened.
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“We are very interested in public reports of any unusual or suspicious happenings near the Heathcote River in the Woolston area over the last couple of days,” he said.
“This could be anything related to the handling or storage of chemicals or washdown that could have entered the river or stormwater network.”
In the meantime, people were advised to stay away from the river in the area of Connal St, Cumnor Tce, Long St and Garlands Rd.
Recreation activity like kayaking and swimming should be avoided, as should any contact with the water, ECan said.
Dogs should also be kept away from the water and any affected wildlife, and fish from the area should not be eaten.
Anyone with information is asked to call ECan’s incident response line on 0800 765 588. Anonymous reports are welcome.
