Fish Kill Observed Along North Shore of Bantam Lake

Dead fish can be observed along the north shore of Bantam Lake.
How did this happen?

Several hundred dead fish can be observed along the north shore of Bantam Lake, Litchfield & Morris, Litchfield Co., Connecticut, USA.  Several people have made this observation and have asked how this happened.  My sources at CT DEEP have explored this and state that the water column became depleted of oxygen for a short period of time.  After a preliminary investigation, they observed that an algal bloom occurred in the northern portion of the lake near the Bantam Lake Inlet.  The depleted oxygen was also encouraged by the mild winter and low rainfall/snow melt which is contributing to overall low water levels in the lake.  The phenomenon appears to be localized to the north bay of the lake because the algal bloom occurred near the Bantam Lake Inlet.  This observation is considered normal for the spring season and can be observed in other lake systems.  If larger quantities of dead fish are observed in Bantam Lake, please contact CT DEEP to report your observation.  The lake is a very important fishery and contributes several important resources to this region.