INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — People in a northeast side neighborhood are furious about dead fish stinking up the area.
13 investigates began looking into the issue Monday and found residents and city workers pointing fingers at each other.
It began with plans to dredge the Castelton Farms neighborhood retention pond. It was drained so it can be dredged and cleaned out to fix drainage and flooding issues in teh area.
When the pond was drained, it left behind thousands of dead fish, frogs and other creatures. People living nearby said the smell has forced them to stay indoors.
The city’s Department of Public Works told 13 investigates the fish kill was part of the plan all along.
"Every effort has been taken to minimize the amount of time that this stage exists, limiting it to a week," said Ben Easley, a spokesperson for DPW. "We are doing it just as fast as we can."
DPW claims it communicated all plans to the area's HOA and the fish kill was always part of the process.
DPW starting dredging the pond on Monday, removing mud, silt and the dead fish. That work is expected to take about a week.