Herriman Pond closed after hundreds of dead fish found

HERRIMAN – A public pond in southwest Salt Lake County will remain closed indefinitely after hundreds of dead fish were found floating in it.

Utah wildlife biologists believe about 500 fish have died in Cove Pond in Herriman Springs Bay, but there could be more, said Faith Heaton Jolley, spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. She said biologists confirmed the mass die-off on Monday after receiving a report from visitors earlier in the day.

The pond was full of catfish, bluegill and sunfish, which the agency releases. Scott Root, a biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said Tuesday that biologists found “lethally low levels” of dissolved oxygen, but the cause was not yet clear.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that anglers do not eat any fish they may have caught from the pond on Monday,” Jolley said in a prepared statement.

The cause of the mass deaths is unclear, but some visitors noticed dead fish as early as Sunday.

Aspynn Scott-Boehme said she had visited the pond several times and it was a popular fishing spot, including for children. But she and her boyfriend were stunned to discover the deaths.

“It was definitely devastating to go up here,” she told KSL-TV on Tuesday. “All the catfish had floated to the surface, as well as a bunch of juvenile fish.”

A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality told KSL.com that state wildlife biologists and local authorities would monitor the water tests currently underway before taking any further action.

Jolley said the pond will remain closed until the cause is determined and corrected and the pond is deemed safe again; a timeline has not yet been determined. Once that happens, the department will restock the pond with fish, Root said.