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Fish kill reported at Clinton Lake

Posted on: Thursday, 18 March 2004, 06:00 CST

CLINTON -- The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and AmerGen Energy Corp. are investigating a fish kill at Clinton Lake.

Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Carole Knowles said the dead fish numbered about 1,980 and were a mix of game- and non- game species.

"That's considered very small in a lake that size," Knowles said. "Our fisheries biologists would characterize it as 'light.'"

Clinton Lake serves as a cooling lake for the Clinton Power Station's nuclear-powered generator.

The timing of the episode coincided with a scheduled shutdown at the plant carried out in early February, company officials said. But, they are unsure if the two events are linked.

In a prepared release Thursday, AmerGen officials said the fish were discovered when ice melted from the lake late last week. The fish appeared to have been dead about three to five weeks.

That time frame coincides with the shutdown, but plant officials said operators took precautions to reduce the risk to fish.

Fish are cold-blooded, so some cannot adjust quickly enough to the temperature change when the plant slows its hot water discharge. They become stressed and die.

Some fish also die naturally in lakes during winter, officials said.

The primary species involved appears to be gizzard shad, according to papers the company filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Shad are a primary food source for the game fish in the 5,000- acre lake.

The small fish are plentiful and replenish themselves quickly, so the loss of several hundred would not have a noticeable impact, officials said.

Other species involved to a lesser degree appear to be carp and buffalo, two species which are not sought by most anglers. Witnesses also reported seeing a few walleyes, catfish and bluegills, which are popular game species.

BENTON (AP) -- Twelve female prison guards primarily at Menard Correctional Center filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court, claiming their co-workers sexually harassed them over four years and retaliated when they complained, including forcing them to escort inmates unsafely.

The 52-page civil suit against the Illinois Department of Corrections seeks unspecified damages for the 12 women, 11 of whom continue to work at Menard, said Courtney Cox, one of the lawyers representing the women. One works at the Tamms "Supermax" Correctional Center.

All referred questions to their lawyers, citing a department policy against speaking publicly about their jobs.

The Department of Corrections had not yet received a copy of the lawsuit, said spokesman Sergio Molina, but he said the agency "will not tolerate any form of harassment."

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