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Report suspected pollution, unusual fish behavior, or a fish kill to the water program in the state where the waterway is located. If you see an unusual number of dead fish, contact the state water-quality or fisheries-management office promptly, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises. Give the agency a precise location, observation date and time, waterbody name, nearby town or county, state, and a factual description of what you saw. Report observations rather than claiming an unconfirmed cause: fish kills can result from low oxygen, contaminants, inadequate water, disease, or other conditions.
Choose the right reporting route
The correct intake office depends on the waterway’s state and on what you observed. EPA’s national guidance does not provide one nationwide phone number, online form, or response process. Start with the relevant state water program for suspected pollution or degraded aquatic life. For a fish kill, EPA says to report the evidence immediately to a state water-quality or fisheries-management office.
| What you observed | First contact | How to describe it |
|---|---|---|
| Dead fish in unusual numbers in one place or along a waterbody | State water-quality office or state fisheries-management office; report promptly | Describe the number or extent you can reasonably observe, where the fish are, when you noticed them, and how they appear |
| Live fish with abnormal appearance or behavior | Relevant state water program | Describe the visible signs and affected area without diagnosing a pollutant or disease |
| Unusual odor, color, sheen, foam, discharge, or other suspected pollution | Relevant state water program | Record the location, time, visible conditions, and any observable source; identify the condition as suspected pollution rather than a confirmed cause |
| Uncertainty about which office handles the waterway | Use the state’s water-program or environmental-agency instructions | Ask which office accepts fish-kill, aquatic-life, or pollution reports and what information it needs |
EPA notes that a state water program may have newer information about a specific waterway, including information that has not been reported to EPA. Local instructions therefore take precedence over a generic national checklist.
Understand what counts as a fish abnormality or fish kill
Fish abnormalities
An abnormality can be any notable departure from what you normally see: unusual swimming, visible lesions, deformities, discoloration, gasping, loss of coordination, or fish gathering in an atypical way. Your role is to report the observation. Do not label it as chemical poisoning, disease, or another cause unless an agency or laboratory has established that conclusion.
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Fish kills
EPA describes a fish kill as unusual numbers of dead fish in one place or along a waterbody. A kill may be limited to one species or affect several species, and the visible scene alone does not reveal why it happened. EPA lists low oxygen, contaminants, insufficient water, and disease among possible causes. The same appearance can therefore arise from very different conditions.
Why a report is useful even when the cause is unknown
Agencies can decide what follow-up is appropriate only after they know where and when the event occurred and what was observed. A carefully worded report preserves those facts without sending investigators toward a cause that has not been verified.
What to record before contacting the agency
Write down details while they are fresh. EPA’s historical incident form from 1975 is not a current filing requirement, but its emphasis on location, observation date, water type, and estimated extent remains a useful way to organize an account.
- Waterbody name: Use the lake, river, stream, canal, pond, reservoir, or other local name. If you do not know it, record nearby landmarks and the road, trail, bridge, access point, or shoreline.
- Most precise location: Add the nearest town or county and the state. A description such as “downstream from the footbridge at the north access” is more actionable than a broad statement that the waterway is affected.
- Date and time: Record when you first noticed the condition and, if known, when it may have started. State your time zone if you are reporting to an office outside your immediate area.
- Type of water: Note whether it is a stream, river, lake, pond, reservoir, estuary, ditch, or another water setting.
- What you saw: Describe live abnormalities, dead fish, floating or stranded fish, the species if you can identify them confidently, and any other affected aquatic life.
- Extent: Explain how far the condition extends and whether it is concentrated in one spot or continues along the shore or channel. If you cannot count the fish reliably, use a plain description such as “scattered along roughly 50 yards of shoreline” rather than inventing a precise number.
- Visible conditions: Note water color, surface appearance, foam, unusual odor, weather, recent heavy rain, low water, or a visible discharge only as observations. These clues do not prove a chemical cause.
- Possible source: If you saw a pipe, outfall, spill, dead livestock, blocked flow, or another specific condition, describe exactly what was visible and where. Do not state that it caused the event unless the agency confirms that link.
- Your contact details: Ask the office whether it needs your name, phone number, email, or permission to call back. Some offices may accept anonymous information; the national EPA material does not establish a universal rule.
A phone photograph, location pin, or written notes may help you remember details, but EPA does not require a particular device or app. Preserve the original time and location information when available, and avoid editing an image in a way that removes those details.
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How to make the report
- Identify the state and waterway. Confirm which state contains the affected location. Find that state’s water program or environmental agency instructions, then look for its fish-kill, aquatic-life, pollution, or emergency-reporting contact.
- Select the office that matches the event. Use a state water-quality office or fisheries-management office for evidence of a fish kill. Use the state water program for suspected pollution or degraded aquatic life. If the state website lists several contacts, choose the one whose description includes your situation.
- Use the current channel specified by the agency. The state may direct you to a telephone line, online form, email address, or another intake process. EPA’s national sources do not establish one universal process, so follow the current local instructions rather than relying on an old form found elsewhere.
- Give a concise factual summary. State the waterbody, precise location, town or county, state, date and time, what you observed, and the approximate extent. Lead with whether fish are dead, alive but abnormal, or whether you observed another suspected pollution condition.
- Separate observations from assumptions. Say “fish were floating near the outfall” rather than “the outfall poisoned the fish.” If you mention a possible source, explain what you actually saw and identify it as a possibility.
- Ask what the office wants next. The agency may request photographs, additional location details, a follow-up visit, or other information. Follow its directions about sampling, handling fish, or collecting water. The EPA material does not provide a universal field-sampling or specimen-handling procedure.
- Record the report reference. If the office gives you a case number, staff name, or submission confirmation, save it with your notes. If it does not, record the date, time, contact method, and office you reached.
How to describe the scene without overclaiming
Use observable language
Strong reports distinguish what a person can see from what requires testing. Examples include “approximately 20 dead fish along the east bank,” “several fish swimming erratically near the culvert,” or “a discolored surface patch was visible at 3 p.m.” If you are unsure of a species or count, say so.
Do not diagnose from appearance or smell
EPA’s public guidance states: “You cannot tell if a fish or waterbody contains chemical pollutants by look or smell.” It also says that the only way to determine whether fish contain harmful levels of chemical pollutants is laboratory testing. A clear water surface can still require investigation, and an unusual odor does not identify a particular contaminant.
This limitation applies to chemical contamination claims. It does not mean that an observation is useless; it means the report should preserve the observation while leaving chemical identification to qualified testing and agency assessment.
Do not turn a correlation into a cause
Fish found near a discharge, after a storm, or during low water may justify reporting, but proximity or timing alone does not establish causation. Record the relationship and let investigators determine whether it matters.
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What not to do
- Do not wait for a confirmed explanation before reporting a fish kill. EPA’s instruction is to report evidence of fish kills immediately to the appropriate state water-quality or fisheries-management office.
- Do not handle fish, enter the water, or collect samples unless the responsible agency tells you how. There is no single EPA field-safety, sampling, or handling protocol supplied for every location and event.
- Do not submit a guessed pollutant as a fact. A report that identifies an unverified chemical can mislead responders and obscure the useful details.
- Do not rely on a consumer water-testing kit as a substitute for agency assessment or laboratory testing. A kit result cannot establish the full cause of a fish kill or prove that fish contain harmful chemical levels.
- Do not dispose of, move, or clean up evidence at the site. Ask the state office what, if anything, it wants preserved or photographed.
- Do not assume an old national form is still accepted. EPA’s example incident form dates from 1975 and is offered as historical material, not as a current universal filing requirement.
Examples of a useful report
Example: unusual dead fish along a shoreline
“At 8:15 a.m. on June 12, I observed dead fish along approximately 100 feet of the east shoreline of Pine Creek Reservoir near the north boat ramp, two miles outside [town], [state]. I saw several dozen fish of at least two apparent species. Some were floating; others were stranded at the edge. I did not see a discharge. The water level appeared low. I can provide photographs and the exact access-point location.”
This version gives the office a location, date, extent, description, and uncertainty about cause. It does not claim that low water caused the deaths.
Example: live fish behaving abnormally
“At 4 p.m. on August 3, fish in the stream pool below the [road] bridge were repeatedly surfacing and swimming in tight circles. The behavior was visible for about 20 minutes across a section roughly 30 feet wide. I noticed a cloudy patch near the bank but cannot identify its source. No dead fish were visible.”
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Example: suspected discharge
“At 10:30 a.m. on September 7, I saw a narrow, oily-looking sheen entering the river from a pipe on the west bank downstream of [landmark]. The sheen extended approximately 15 feet along the surface. I did not touch the water or collect a sample. The nearest town is [town], [state].”
The description identifies what was visible and what the observer did not do, without asserting that the sheen caused any fish harm.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.After you submit the report
Follow the agency’s instructions
The state office may ask for a clearer map, additional photographs, a second observation, or details about weather and water conditions. Provide only information you can support. If officials request sampling or handling, ask for their exact procedure and any safety directions before acting.
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Keep a dated record
Save your original notes, photographs, messages, confirmation numbers, and the names of offices contacted. If the condition changes, make a new dated entry rather than rewriting the original account. A timeline helps distinguish what you saw initially from later developments.
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Use local information for updates
EPA’s How’s My Waterway guidance explains that state programs may have more recent or more complete information for a particular waterway than national resources. Check the state or local authority for advisories, investigation updates, or requests for additional reports.
When you are unsure whether the issue is reportable
Reporting does not require you to prove that pollution occurred. If you observe an unusual concentration of dead fish, marked abnormal behavior, or a visible condition that may affect aquatic life, send the observation to the relevant state program and explain your uncertainty. The office can determine whether the information warrants inspection or testing.
A single dead fish may have an ordinary individual cause, while many dead fish in one area meet EPA’s description of a fish kill. Because the national guidance does not set a universal numeric threshold, describe the extent you can see and let the state office apply its criteria.
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Key points to remember
- Use the state water program for suspected pollution or degraded aquatic life.
- Report evidence of a fish kill promptly to a state water-quality or fisheries-management office.
- Include the waterbody, precise location, nearest town or county, state, observation date and time, and a factual description of the extent and appearance.
- Fish kills have multiple possible causes, including low oxygen, contaminants, inadequate water, and disease.
- Look and smell cannot establish chemical contamination; laboratory testing is needed to determine harmful chemical levels in fish.
- There is no single national reporting number or universal form, so use the current instructions for the state where the waterway is located.
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