Concern over dead fish found floating at Sheffield dam

According to a Facebook community forum, Friends of Porter Valley, the fish started to die at Wire Mill Dam in Porter Valley with many appearing to be struggling to breathe.

Confirming this incident, the Environment Agency said they had visited the site on Sunday (August 29) and it was found that the oxygen levels in the pond were "very low".

Following a further visit on Tuesday, the agency's Fisheries Officer confirmed it was likely there had been an algal bloom in the pond, which was now breaking down and stripping available oxygen from the water.

As a result, the shallow depth of the pond has increased the impact of the natural event and the low levels of oxygen are the cause of the distressed and dead fish.

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A spokesperson said: "We have spoken to the relevant department of Sheffield City Council to provide advice on what steps they could take to improve the situation but do not intend taking any further action ourselves."

Sheffield City Council, which manages the park, said they are aware of the situation and have arranged for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to pump more water into the lake as a short term measure.

A spokesperson said: “The water supply at Wiremill Dam is fed from the Porter Brook and in periods of dry weather the river level drops reducing the flow to the dam.

“As a short term measure, until we can complete additional remedial work to improve water flow, we’ve installed a small water pump to help aerate the water, and arranged for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to pump additional water into the lake this week.

" We’ll continue to monitor water levels at the dam, doing our best to maintain a safe level for the wildlife in the area.”

In addition to that, there is other remedial work, including arranging a jetter unit to dislodge silt build up at the inlet to help increase flow, needed to help the situation.

They will also monitor water levels in the meantime until these works can be completed.

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