WAKLER COUNTY, Ala. – Another fish kill on the Mulberry Fork is being investigated by the nonprofit Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
In a Facebook post Aug. 25, the Black Warrior Riverkeeper said, “Black Warrior Riverkeeper is investigating a fish kill on the Mulberry Fork thanks to a couple of reports we received over the weekend. On Monday (8/24/26) Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke took the patrol boat out and documented dead fish from Cordova 12 miles upstream to the confluence of the Mulberry and Sipsey forks at Sipsey, and 5 miles upstream on the Mulberry Fork. The smell of decaying fish was significant and the water was turbid brown with a green algal bloom and sheen on top. Dead fish seen were mostly blacktail redhorse and freshwater drum with some river redhorse, striped bass, catfish, and sadly rare southern walleyes. We do not yet know what the root cause of this fish kill was (or when it began), but it was apparently caused by low dissolved oxygen levels in the river.
“The last two fish kills (2016 & 2019) we witnessed on the Mulberry Fork were caused by pollution spilled at the massive Hanceville proteins rendering plant on the Mulberry Fork, which was operated by American Proteins in 2016 and Tyson in 2019 (still is today under name River Valley Ingredients). If anyone has any information to share (you may remain anonymous) that would be helpful to the investigation, or if anyone collected and froze fresh dead fish from this event, please let us know. Until we learn more about the origin and cause of the fish kill and water quality conditions in the river, people are encouraged to exercise caution and avoid contact with the water.”
E.coli can lead to low oxygen; it is an indicator organism for fecal contamination, meaning its presence signals that other harmful pathogens may also be in the water. Low oxygen in water is primarily driven by nutrient pollution that causes algal blooms, followed by decomposition of the dead algae. E.coli contamination is often a symptom of the same nutrient and organic waste inputs that cause these blooms. In this way, E.coli is both a marker and a contributor to oxygen loss.
In a phone interview with Brook, he verified that he and his team were notified of the concerns on late Saturday night on Aug. 22, 2026. Brook informed The Tribune that he documented dead fish from Cordova 12 miles upstream to the confluence of the Mulberry and Sipsey Forks at Sipsey, and 5 miles upstream on the Mulberry Fork. He said he took water samples to analyze for E.coli on Monday, Aug. 24. “I had an interest from somebody that was planning a baptism this weekend and wondering if it’s safe enough to do that, so I’ll be able to give people an idea of what water quality conditions are looking like here mid-week,” he said earlier this week.
Brooks said, “I’ve investigated two fish kills on the Mulberry Fork,” one of which was the Aug. 17, 2016, spill from American Proteins and again on June 6, 2019, by now Tyson Foods.
The investigation into the third fish kill is ongoing.
Said Black Warrior Riverkeeper:
“The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is the lead agency for investigating fish kills – please call them first whenever you find a fish kill in Alabama: (800) 272-4263 | www.outdooralabama.com/freshwater-fishing/reporting-freshwater-fish-kills.
“The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is responsible for determining the cause and culprit of fish kills, so if you have any information about pollution events that cause fish kills, please file a report: https://prd.adem.alabama.gov/complaints/submission.aspx.
“Please also report pollution and fish kills to Black Warrior Riverkeeper, as it helps us be informed and enables us to take action quicker: www.blackwarriorriver.org/report-pollution. If you come across many swirling fish that are acting erratic or lots of fish at the surface gulping for air with their mouths, you are likely witnessing the beginning of a fish kill.”
Get more information at www.blackwarriorriver.org or www.facebook.com/BlackWarriorRiverkeeper.
Read The Tribune’s extensive past coverage of the 2016 and 2019 incidents on the Mulberry Fork at www.cullmantribune.com/tag/mulberry-fork.
