Neighbors near Northern Hills Lake report an alarming ecological crisis involving dying wildlife and deteriorating conditions, prompting a state investigation.<\/p>\n
SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Residents living near a private lake on the northeast side say they\u2019re witnessing an ecological collapse: dead fish, dying ducks and geese, trees losing their leaves and a smell so strong they can\u2019t open their windows.<\/p>\n
The unfolding die-off is happening at Northern Hills Lake, a privately managed lake near Thousand Oaks, overseen by Acadia on the Lake Apartments management. Several residents tell KENS 5 the situation began in late spring and early summer, and has grown steadily worse.<\/p>\n
Greg Harman has lived in the community for 12 years, and said the lake was the main draw for nearly everyone who moved to the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have this right outside your back door to just go for a walk,” Harman explained. “Many of us have adopted ducks and geese and basically raised them where they would come to us like pets.”<\/p>\n
But from late spring to early summer, he said, everything changed.<\/p>\n
Harman says the first shift happened when large numbers of white egrets arrived at the lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an influx of the white egrets\u2026 and they were subsequently dispatched by a large number of the cormorant birds who came in and just covered everything in their droppings \u2014 including the lake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He believes the cormorants wiped out the smaller fish, ate ducklings and contributed to the worsening water quality.<\/p>\n
Residents told KENS 5 several trees around the lake now appear to be dying as well.<\/p>\n
By late fall, Harman said the situation became undeniable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a big fish kill\u2026 it started with all of our large carp floating to the top. Then eventually we started seeing smaller bass and perch. All of the fish seemed to be dying,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Soon, the ducks began dying too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started noticing that our ducks were also dying\u2026 a slow, painful death,\u201d Harman said. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Multiple breeds are affected, including Muscovy ducks and Egyptian geese, residents said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo no avail, they\u2019ve all died. Even today we found more dead ducks,\u201d Harman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several neighbors told KENS 5 off-camera that they even tried taking in a sick duck to see if it could be saved, but the birds did not survive.<\/p>\n
Residents say they repeatedly asked property management for answers but received none. Harman said concerns were dismissed until a Texas game warden responded to the lake.<\/p>\n
The game warden, he said, collected six dead ducks for testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne representative from Fish and Game told us not to handle any more of the dead or dying ducks because they don\u2019t know what they have \u2014 and it could be communicable,\u201d Harman said.<\/p>\n
When KENS 5 went to the lake Wednesday to speak with more residents, staff with Acadia on the Lake asked the news crew to leave. An office employee said corporate had \u201cno comment\u201d on the situation.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) confirmed it is investigating.<\/p>\n
\u201cTexas Parks and Wildlife Department is aware of the fish and duck mortalities at Northern Hills Lake and is currently conducting an investigation,\u201d the agency said. \u201cTPWD does not believe the incident is related to an influx of cormorants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Texas Parks and Wildlife officials say residents do not need to avoid the area around Northern Hills Lake, but they should take precautions. The agency urges people not to handle any sick or dead wildlife, and to avoid feeding animals or doing anything that would cause wildlife to gather in large numbers. Pets should also be kept away from carcasses and should be up to date on vaccinations, especially if they regularly walk near the lake.<\/p>\n
TPWD says its wildlife mortality investigation is still underway. These investigations typically involve identifying which species are affected, documenting symptoms in any sick animals and analyzing samples through laboratory testing. How long that process takes depends on the type of event and how quickly lab results come back.<\/p>\n
The worsening conditions have changed daily life for families living along the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to have a tradition after Thanksgiving \u2014 take a walk around the lake and walk off some pumpkin pie,\u201d Harman said. \u201cBut we will not be doing that this year\u2026 the smell and the view are terrible. It looks like we\u2019ve woken up to an apocalyptic event under these trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harman said he still hasn\u2019t received answers about the fish kill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything about the fish, why those may still be dying,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The sight of children playing near the lake now troubles him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very disconcerting to see families with little kids out trying to play with what used to be a lake full of ducks\u2026 and now it\u2019s a lake full of buzzards picking over the carcasses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To him, the scope of the die-off feels bigger than one cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like some kind of an ecological event,\u201d Harman said. \u201cThe trees are dying, the water seems polluted, and the ducks and fish are dying off. That\u2019s four supposedly unrelated things happening. That seems a little too coincidental for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
While residents blame cormorants for eating ducklings and stripping small fish from the lake, the birds are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Disturbing their nests or eggs is illegal without a federal permit.<\/p>\n
KENS 5 emailed Acadia on the Lake\u2019s management company asking about water quality, cleanup efforts and resident concerns. We’ll publish an update as soon as we hear back.<\/p>\n