Question

On July 28, 2015, a heavy rains poured down on the fields, bluffs and valley surrounding the South Branch of the Whitewater River in southeastern Minnesota, one of the state’s most heralded trout streams. Later that day or the next, between 9,000 and 10,000 fish in a 6.5-mile stretch of the river in Olmsted County were killed suddenly. The event nearly wiped out the wild brown trout population in that stretch. However, the question of what caused the fish kill remains a mystery. Which environmental condition is LEAST likely to have played a role in the fish kill?

A)The extensive rains lead to a change in the pH of the river that killed off water-dwelling insects, minnows and crayfish leaving the trout with insufficient food sources.

B)Agricultural practices led to the wash of fertilizer into the river, causing an algal bloom that led to a hypoxic that decreased oxygen concentrations, killing the sensitive trout population.

C)Herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, some that are lethal to aquatic life, were sprayed on crops by helicopter in the days leading up to the kill were washed into the river in concentrations to high to sustain life for the vulnerable trout.

D)Manure from local dairy farms, especially manure containing copper sulfate has been spread as fertilizer near the river in the days leading up to the fish kill, washing potentially toxic levels of the manure into the river with the extensive rains.

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Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is (If you’re doing this on USATestPrep)

A.The extensive rains lead to a change in the pH of the river that killed off water-dwelling insects, minnows and crayfish leaving the trout with insufficient food sources.

Answer 2

The correct answer is option C) "Herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, some that are lethal to aquatic life, were sprayed on crops by helicopter in the days leading up to the kill were washed into the river in concentrations to high to sustain life for the vulnerable trout".

Step-by-step explanation:

One of the most unsettling facts of the numerous deaths of fishes in South Branch of the Whitewater River on July 28, 2015, is that after an extensive investigation, the agencies were unable to draw a clear conclusion. The most accepted theory is the one proposed by Jeffrey Broberg, geologist, environmental manager and president of the Minnesota Trout Association. Broberg propose that an unfortunate combination of events created a toxic stew that killed the fish. Herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, some that are lethal to aquatic life, were sprayed on crops by helicopter in the days leading up to the kill were washed into the river in concentrations to high to sustain life for the vulnerable trout. The chemicals were not washed on purpose, they were flushed into the river by the heavy rain that took place on those days..