Dead fish in stream at Lincoln’s Union Plaza are no cause for concern

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Over the weekend, dead fish were seen in the Union Plaza stream.

Officials said while it’s unfortunate, you don’t need to worry about the dead fish.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said it’s not a concern and usually just means we had a lot of rain in a short period of time.

When that happens, like on June 1, more water is pushed from Antelope Creek and into the Union Plaza stream.

As the water flowed downstream, the fish flowed with it. And once they got into Union Plaza, they couldn’t get out.

Thad Huenemann, the rivers and streams program manager for Game and Parks, said there are some parts of the stream deep enough for fish to live in for a while.

But fish can’t thrive when a shallow concrete channel, like Union Plaza, gets hot.

“That concrete heats that water up kind of beyond what’s comfortable for fish,” Huenemann said.

When the water recedes fast, the fish are trapped, inevitably resulting in their death.

The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for cleaning up the fish in Union Plaza and said it had a crew out Monday.

If you ever notice lots of dead fish in a waterway, call the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which will investigate.