Thousands of dead fish wash up on banks near Fredericktown battery plant fire

The Critical Mineral Recovery company is paying for alternate water sources for livestock near the site of last week’s fire at its Fredericktown battery plant after thousands of dead fish washed up on the banks of a nearby creek and river.

The fishkill was discovered along a 2-1/2 mile-long stretch of Village Creek and St. Francis River. While the cause of the fish deaths is not confirmed, officials believe it may be tied to runoff from firefighting foams and retardants. Many fishkills across the country have been linked to fires where foams reached creeks and waterways.

Residents have expressed concerns about water quality following the fire Oct. 30.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and contractors hired by the Critical Mineral Recovery facility are collecting surface water samples and making plans to test groundwater as well.

According to a daily response web page established by the EPA, Fredericktown’s public drinking supply is pulled from City Lake. They believe the lake was not affected by the smoke plume or runoff, but MoDNR and contractors hired by Critical Mineral Recovery are collecting samples to confirm that belief.

The facility also hired a contractor to provide alternate drinking water for livestock.

The EPA continues to monitor the air near Fredericktown.

On Monday, Nov. 4, the EPA said it was looking to detect volatile organic compounds, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, lower explosive limit and particulate matter, according to the EPA’s operational update web page.

The organization reported that it “continues to have occasional detections of hydrogen fluoride and elevated particulate matter”, which it said are “typically associated with flare-ups during the continued hotspot suppression” at the facility. The detections, according to the EPA, are below action levels.

In addition to air monitoring, the EPA and EPA contractors are collecting air samples for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The samples will be sent to labs.

The EPA stated it is coordinating and sharing monitoring data with contractors hired by Critical Mineral Recovery. All monitoring detections are also communicated to the Fredericktown Fire Department.

Critical Mineral Recovery is a 225,000 square-foot processing plant that “reportedly deenergizes, dismantles and processes materials associated with electric vehicles and other rechargeable batteries for recycling and reuse,” the EPA stated.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.