Take the time to watch the video.
Hundreds of dead ducks discovered
DENVER - Almost 200 dead ducks have been found in a chlorine basin at a wastewater treatment facility.
An engineer first noticed several distressed ducks on site January 2nd, and then a week later, the staff discovered a pattern; hundreds of ducks dead in the water.
The Division of Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife are investigating, as lab tests are being performed in Fort Collins to find a cause to the problem.
For the past 20 years, hundreds of ducks flock to the warm water at this plant, but this is the first time the staff has noticed such an ominous scene.
?It's not unusual at all to have ducks here. The ducks come every winter, but we just don't see ducks die,? said Steve Frank, spokesperson for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District.
Maintenance workers at the plant have a sound gun firing off blank shots each half hour to keep the ducks away from the water, until the root of the problem is confirmed.
Workers are also skimming the water to find any remaining ducks.
Several of the surviving birds sit in cages and towels, with their feathers no longer waterproof, possibly suffering from hypothermia.
The plant increased the amount of chlorine in the water in December, but the staff says there?s no connection.
?When we increased the chlorine dosage we didn't notice any additional ducks, dead or alive, when we decreased it, we didn't notice any change either,? said Frank.
The staff plans to put a net over the basin to keep birds out of the water.
Lab results are expected within the next few weeks.
Hundreds of dead ducks discovered
DENVER - Almost 200 dead ducks have been found in a chlorine basin at a wastewater treatment facility.
An engineer first noticed several distressed ducks on site January 2nd, and then a week later, the staff discovered a pattern; hundreds of ducks dead in the water.
The Division of Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife are investigating, as lab tests are being performed in Fort Collins to find a cause to the problem.
For the past 20 years, hundreds of ducks flock to the warm water at this plant, but this is the first time the staff has noticed such an ominous scene.
?It's not unusual at all to have ducks here. The ducks come every winter, but we just don't see ducks die,? said Steve Frank, spokesperson for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District.
Maintenance workers at the plant have a sound gun firing off blank shots each half hour to keep the ducks away from the water, until the root of the problem is confirmed.
Workers are also skimming the water to find any remaining ducks.
Several of the surviving birds sit in cages and towels, with their feathers no longer waterproof, possibly suffering from hypothermia.
The plant increased the amount of chlorine in the water in December, but the staff says there?s no connection.
?When we increased the chlorine dosage we didn't notice any additional ducks, dead or alive, when we decreased it, we didn't notice any change either,? said Frank.
The staff plans to put a net over the basin to keep birds out of the water.
Lab results are expected within the next few weeks.
