Dozens of dead fish appear in neighborhood pond in Tampa

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Neighbors in a Westchase community are upset after dozens of fish died in a retention pond surrounding several homes.

They said the first ones started dying a few days ago and they wanted answers.

The pond is located near Countryway Boulevard and Northumberland Drive in northwest Hillsborough County.

The backyard of this neighborhood smells of dead fish, and dozens of dead fish are scattered on the ground and in the water.

Neighbors said they knew something was wrong when they saw all the birds flocking to the area.

“It is of course very disappointing and makes me sad to see everyone die,” said neighbor Daniel Banks.

Banks and other residents like Emily Brushwood said when they look out of their homes, they see a shrinking pond and several dead fish.

“I don’t know if it’s chemicals or lack of oxygen because the water level is so low,” Brushwood said. “I’m not an expert, but I knew something was wrong if all those fish were dying.”

“You see the life in all the ponds and all that stuff, and you see it’s basically being removed and restricted because somebody did something wrong. I don’t like that, I don’t like that in my backyard, it looks terrible,” Banks said.

Brushwood said the smell was so strong that they couldn’t enjoy their quiet backyard.

“It’s been pretty rancid the last few days, which has certainly never happened before. It’s not pleasant, we’re not going to sit on our back deck,” she said.

Brushwood said after Citrus Park Drive was opened and other ponds were created, the water from her own pond was drained.

It’s a mystery how all these fish die.

“I think the most important thing right now is to find out if someone put a chemical in this lake or what could have possibly happened that all these fish died within just a few days,” she said.

Banks said there used to be flowers and grass up to the waterline and that the water was about five feet deeper.

“It’s very frustrating to look at this,” he added. “This is not what I bought this house with, and it’s not what we’re used to, and it doesn’t look healthy.”

He said this is not the first time dead fish have appeared, but he hopes a solution will be found to fix the problem and keep all the animals alive.

Hillsborough County said records show the pond belongs to the homeowners association.

8 On Your Side contacted the HOA, who stated that the pond did not belong to them and was a special tax district pond.

We contacted the special district and they sent us a statement saying:

“The district will review the matter and will have no further comment.”

Brenden Crawford, Deputy District Manager