EPD, EPA checking local creek for pollutants; fish kill confirmed

An EPD emergency response team was wading a local creek Tuesday trying to determine the source of a dark, foamy discharge in the waterway.Slideshow inside.The apparently unnamed creek runs from the area of the Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial Park, under Five Points Road to Potato Creek. Potato Creek runs through Pike County and is the source of the City of Thomaston’s drinking water. The complaint reportedly originated from a citizen.Victor Cozart, who oversees water treatment for Thomaston, said the discharge has not turned up at the Thomaston treatment plant but that his personnel are taking precuations. There were reports of a fish kill but that has not been confirmed. Cozart said he had no firsthand knowledge of a fish kill.The discharge is obvious at the point where the creek flows under Five Points Road as shown in accompanying photos.Missy Kendrick of the Industrial Development Authority reported officials at Jordan Forest Products had been told by personnel from EPA and EPD they had been cleared.UPDATE: FISH KILL CONFIRMEDKevin Chambers of EPD confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that EPD and EPA personnel responded to a complaint about the creek Saturday afternoon. The complainant cited discolored water and an odor. EPD fisheries personnel confirmed about 100 dead fish and said they had been dead for several days, Chambers noted.”We are looking at two wood processing operations, Jordan Forest Products and Rayonier, and storm water ponds. Nothing has come up directly linking them to the discharge but we are still investigating,” Chambers said.Chambers noted investigative personnel were in the unnamed creek and Potato Creek Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.