Photo by Mary Beth Almond The deaths of more than 500 fish along a stretch of the Rouge River in Bloomfield Hills is likely due to the discharge of a turf care product used by the Stoneycroft Hills Golf Club, according to a violation notice issued by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Water Bureau July 29.

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — The deaths of more than 500 fish along a stretch of the Rouge River in Bloomfield Hills is likely due to the discharge of a turf care product used by the Stonycroft Hills Golf Club, according to a violation notice issued by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Water Bureau July 29.

Representatives of the DEQ and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were called to test a portion of the Rouge River between Stonycroft Road and Huntingwood Lane July 28 after receiving a call that morning from a concerned resident who reported hundreds of dead fish belly-up in a stream and small pond directly behind his home.

“They were mainly accumulated in the pond, which is just upstream of Long Lake Road. They were very visible, and the people were concerned,” said Jeff Braunscheidel, fisheries biologist for the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division.

Braunscheidel was asked to evaluate the extent of the fish killed in a 1,100-foot stretch of stream from the Stonycroft Hills Private Golf Club down to a small pond.

“For about an hour and half I actually walked the stream and the pond and counted and identified fish. I estimated about 500 dead fish in the stretch that I evaluated, ranging from 2-inch creek chubs to 18-inch carp,” he said.

The biggest concern for the DNR was that the stream eventually empties into the large ponds within the Cranbrook Educational Community.

“We did determine that the chemical, or whatever it was, seems to have become diluted well before it reached that point. There were no dead fish as far down as Cranbrook,” Braunscheidel said.

DNR workers are currently testing samples of the dead fish that were taken from the stream for possible diseases or toxins, while the DEQ is testing water samples from the stream and pond for chemicals.

“We got in and we took water samples, both upstream of the golf course, at the golf course and downstream of the golf course, and also observed the extent of what appeared to be the fish kill,” said Betsy Nightingale, senior environmental quality analyst for the DEQ.

While conducting the investigation, Nightingale said, golf club staff informed those at the Water Bureau that 240 ounces of Daconil Ultrex Turf Care, which contains the active ingredient chlorothalonil, mixed with 90 gallons of water, was discharged at 5 p.m. July 27 into a storm drain that discharges to the tributary where the dead fish were observed.

“We’re still conducting an investigation at this point. What we know is that there was a spill at the golf course, but we haven’t definitively defined that as the cause of the fish kill. We have to wait until we get our test results back to do that, which can take a couple of weeks,” Nightingale said.

On July 29, the DEQ Water Bureau mailed a violation notice to Thomas Cook, general manger of the Stonycroft Hills Golf Club, noting that all observations by DEQ staff indicate that the July 27 discharge of Daconil Ultrex Turf Care resulted in the observed injury to fish and other aquatic life in the tributary. It also requested that the golf course submit a response to the DEQ by Aug. 14 including:

• A description of the discharge incident, including a description of the cause, the circumstance surrounding the incident, and how the discharge was discovered and reported.

• A description of the emergency response actions that the club took in response to the discharge incident.

• A description of measures that will be taken by the club to prevent future unpermitted discharges to waters of the state.

• A spill reporting and prevention plan that will be utilized by the club.

• An employee training plan that will be utilized by the club that focuses on good housekeeping and pollution prevention.

A media statement sent by Cook Thursday morning confirmed that Stonycroft Hills Golf Club had reported an accidental release of Daconil Ultrex Turf Care dissolved in a solution from a chemical sprayer that had malfunctioned to the DEQ. The release was to a driveway at the club, which then led to a storm drain that ultimately leads to a tributary of the Rouge River running on club property. The product, according to the statement, is a fungicide commonly used on golf courses for turf diseases, and — as noted in the material safety data sheet — is toxic to fish, but not to animals or humans if spilled in a waterway.

Following the directions of the DEQ, Cook said, the club brought an environmental cleanup company to pump out the storm drain and the piping that leads to the river. The club also provided cleanup of the dead fish downstream of the discharge, he said.

While the investigation of the spill continues, Cook said, Stonycroft is complying with the actions outlined in the violation and is taking proactive measures to retrain and certify employees by participating in the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program.

“Stonycroft Hills Club has always and continues to be diligent in the proper use of all chemicals needed to maintain the golf course. This is the first violation received in the club’s 48 year history,” Cook said in the statement.