Algae Blooms Blamed For Fish Die-Off At Lake Lindero

AGOURA HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A massive cleanup effort was underway Wednesday after hundreds of dead fish were found in an Agoura Hills lake.

KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby reports an estimated 200 fish including carp and bass were seen floating Tuesday on the surface of Lake Lindero at 5719 Lake Lindero Drive.

David Smith, president of Golf Projects Lindero, which owns the lake, said the fish are being suffocated by an algae bloom spurred by a lake dredging project earlier this year. Algae blooms have been blamed for similar fish die-offs at the lake dating back as far as 1997 or earlier.

Lake management personnel are continuing to treat the water with chemicals, but Smith warned the algae can't be killed all at once or it could pose an even bigger threat to the lake's ecosystem.

"What that would do is it would make a massive fish kill, because there's all that algae died," he said. "It would suck most all of the oxygen out of the water, leaving no oxygen at all for the fish."

Although Smith insists Lake Lindero is safe, resident Mark Oddney, who lives on Lakefront Drive near Lake Lindero, said he grew up near the lake and doesn't ever remember seeing any fish die-offs.

"I grew up there with my dad living on the lake, we used to fish off the dock," he said. "The water used to be..clear."

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