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NancyMeyer of Hyattsville noticed something slightlyout of
the ordinaryduring her bike ride around the Anacostia River
on May25.
On the northeast branch of the river, large amounts of fish
were trapped, Meyer said, in various areas of the CSX
transportation construction site in Hyattsville.
“I was shocked to see that,” Meyer said. “When I got down
there and saw people from the Anacostia Watershed Society
and bicyclists helping, I just had to jump in and tryto save
the fish.”
The incident has environmental officials and residents
concerned about the impact of the construction on the river’s
wildlife. About 700 fish died in the incident, said Jorge Bogantes, natural resources specialist for the Anacostia
Watershed Society, a nonprofit environmental group.
Rob Doolittle, a spokesman for CSXCorp., said some fish became trapped after the excessive water receded in
cofferdams, underwater tubes used for pumping out water to create a drywork space.
In cooperation with the Maryland Transportation Authority, CSXbegan adding track near the intersection of Decatur
Street and Baltimore Avenue in Hyattsville in August, Doolittle said. The project is expected to be completed byearly
2015 with about 2.75 miles of new track.
Doolittle said CSXhas implemented a solution for its contractor, ShirleyContracting Company, to follow in the event of
another storm.
“To prevent a similar situation, theyare to remove anyfish that might be caught up in the cofferdams within 24 hours
and use nets to ensure the safetyof the fish,” Doolittle
said.
Protecting the Anacostia’s wildlife is a priorityfor CSX,
Doolittle said.
“Our objective is to minimize our impact on the
environment when we are doing this kind of work,” he
said. “We are committed to complying with all the
regulations and protecting the environment.”
MaryAbe, director of stewardship programs for the
Anacostia Watershed Society, said preparing the site
before rainstorms occur is important.
“What we have issue with is that we didn’t feel there was
anything in place [beforehand], and the result was
hundreds of fish left dead,” Abe said. “The site was destined to flood and it’s destined to flood again.”
Protection of the food chain and the ecosystem is an important reason the fish need to be accounted for during
construction, Bogantes said.
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Fish deaths spark after-storm solution at Hyattsville
construction site
CSX officials address concerns regarding Hyattsville wildlife
ByImanSmith
Staff Writer
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“There are some species that use the Anacostia to migrate through from the Atlantic and the Chesapeake,” Bogantes
said. “These fish also serve for recreational purposes and are food for other fish. Accidents do happen, but we should
be sure to avoid these things.”
Bogantes said the solution proposed byCSXshould suffice.
“For this site, I think that’s a good solution,” Bogantes said, “but it would be better for the long-term to have guidelines
to handle these situations ahead of time.”
ismith@gazette.net
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