PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — WPTV continues to push for answers about a fish kill in a Port St. Lucie canal.
It happened after a Aquatic Vegetation Control (AVC) , a company contracted by the city, chemically treated the waterway.
WATCH BELOW: 'There were no water samples taken to be tested before treatment,' according to memo
WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield dug through a report by public works, on what went wrong and how the city is trying to prevent it from happening again.
The memo, sent to city council members, detailed what caused the fish kill, answered questions from neighbors, and required AVC to test oxygen levels in the canal before treatment.
During a city council meeting on June 23 many neighbors brought questions to Port St. Lucie leaders about what happened.
Many asked during the meeting if AVC tested the dissolved oxygen levels in the water before chemically treating the canal.
The memo stated: “There were no water samples taken to be tested before treatment.”
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE BELOW: Neighbors react to fish kill in Treasure Coast waterway
The memo added it was best practice, agreed upon by the city and AVC, to test the water before treatment, which didn’t happen.
The memo said the city now requires AVC to test the dissolved oxygen levels prior to using herbicide.
Another question during the June 23 meeting, raised by neighbor Shannon White, asked whether there were any alternatives to using chemicals in the water.
“Why does the city use these harmful chemicals when there are other ways to maintain our waterways, such as hydro raking,” said White.
The city said in the memo that they seldom use hydro-raking because, "we have been very proactive in mitigating the spread of unwanted invasive and exotic vegetation.”
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE BELOW: 'I think that we are going to have fish kills if we continue to do what we're doing,' Jim Moir tells WPTV
However, the city added it sometimes uses mechanical harvesting for torpedo grass that can clog facilities after weather events.
WPTV took the memo to Indian Riverkeeper Jim Moir and agrees with the new requirements set on AVC.
“I think it is good that they're testing it,” said Moir. “I think it's necessary that they test it.”
However, Moir thinks ditching the herbicide for mechanical harvesting could solve the issue.
“It would have gotten rid of the vegetative material, and it would have gotten rid of the clogged drainage system,” said Moir. “You would have got two birds with one stone.”
WPTV reached out to discuss the memo with the city on Wednesday but was told they were unable to speak.
Read more of WPTV's related coverage below:
Protecting Paradise
'It needs to be investigated': Staff working to find answers about fish kill
Protecting Paradise
