Warning system needed for river communities
What alarms me most about the recent fish kill in the Rock River? It’s not the possible poison or even possibly radiation from Byron. What most alarms me is that we were not immediately warned of the contamination.
Communities the length of the Rock River should be immediately warned in case of contamination. There are hundreds of thousands of people who live between Rockford and Moline. It is shocking to learn that apparently no regional government authority is responsible for alerting the communities of the Rock River.
What if it had been a radiation leak from the Byron Nuclear Power plant? The consequences in such a case would be devastating. Another Chernobyl. Would we be allowed to just sit here and watch the dead fish float down the river while being radiated? Is there a warning system in place to alert and evacuate communities on the river? Apparently not.
America spends a lot of time and money worrying about Muslim terrorists, but we don’t seem to care much about the dangers of industrial poisoning ... and that danger is much greater.
The train wreck and ethanol spill occurred Friday night, June 19, in Rockford. We began seeing dead fish in Grand Detour, Dixon and Sterling on Sunday, June 21. Yet, most citizens looked in puzzlement at the dead fish and had no idea if they were in danger … had no idea if it was safe to swim, boat or catch fish.
As a frequent fisherman, I’m still not sure if it’s safe to eat the fish. The Department of Natural Resources still hasn’t told us what killed the fish. They don’t seem to know. They think it wasn’t the ethanol. Then what was it? Why are we not being immediately told?
It’s reported that the DNR said, “Don’t go in the river, but it’s OK to eat the fish.” What does that mean?
We need an immediate warning system to the communities on the river, and we need quick and transparent information about the danger when any spill occurs in the river.
