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The C&O Canal Towpath Trail and Great Allegheny Passage

Dead Fish in the C&O Canal


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Rivnuts from Homestead, PA on 5/31/2022 12:47:45 PM:
In riding upriver back to Pittsburgh on the C&O Towpath last week I encountered the putrid smell of dead flesh. Looking into the adjacent canal I saw dozens of large, dead fish (presumably carp) in the shallows of the canal. It appears these fish were carried over from the river into the canal at a couple of locations upriver of Dams 4 and 5 during the heavy rains this month. These locations were likely the emergency overflows or fill ditches between the canal and the river. When the river level receded, the fish were trapped in the canal.

It may take a while for the stench to subside but don't be surprised as you approach these areas.