MORGANTOWN — Six West Virginia streams have tested positive for golden algae, the cause of a September fish kill on Dunkard Creek.
The tributary of the Monongahela River meanders along the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border.
Federal investigators say high levels of total dissolved solids helped the algae flourish.
The state Department of Environmental Protection took 39 samples from 20 streams in November to determine whether the algae had spread.
Golden algae is difficult to remove once it’s in a watershed. DEP spokeswoman Kathy Cosco says it’s something West Virginia will have to live with.
