DeLAND, Fla. – Residents in the Victoria Commons neighborhood in DeLand are puzzled over what they call a “sudden” and “strange” animal kill.
“Ducks, native Florida birds, ibis. We have a dead hawk. We haven’t seen the sandhill cranes, which were beloved in this community. And dozens of Muscovy ducks (are) all dead,” Raquel Levy said.
Levy and her daughter, Bella Schwartz, told News 6 that dead animals were first noticed a little over a week ago around the neighborhood’s lake.
They said they’re also worried because the lake water is used to irrigate the neighborhood.
“The same water that we have here killing things, we don’t want it in our lawns and especially those who have dogs running through there and coming back to us,” Schwartz said.
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Dozens of residents have signed a petition and even held demonstrations over the last week wanting answers.
Levy said they thought the HOA might have treated the lake with a chemical to reduce algae blooms right before these “kills” started happening.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told News 6 because it’s unusual for birds to also die from a fish kill, the state tested the water.
Levy said the results came back Wednesday and showed the water was negative for that specific chemical toxin they thought the HOA might have used.
Levy said they now wonder if a chemical could have been disseminated before the water was tested, or if something else was put in the water.
“The water was treated, and we want a record of all the treatments that were recently done and to find out what chemicals were used to treat the water,” she said.
Levy also happens to be a local attorney, so she said the residents are taking legal routes now to get answers.
News 6 also reached out to the neighborhood’s HOA, the Victoria Park Community Council, which sent the following statement:
We have been closely monitoring the conditions at the pond and can confirm that no dangerous chemicals have been added to the pond. Instead, the pond has been maintained in compliance with FWC and Water Management District guidelines and requirements in the same manner that it has long been maintained.
Victoria Park Community Council
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