Long-time Mannering Park resident Kevin Rixon doesn't claim to be a scientist, he just has a gut feeling that there's more to the recent fish kills in southern Lake Macquarie than meets the eye.
"I think there is a cover-up going on," Mr Rixon said at the local boat ramp where hundreds of dead fish, including mullet, bream, bat fish, whiting and a juvenile white spotted eagle ray, washed up on Wednesday.
"It doesn't make sense that this can happen twice in the same spot. It's a beautiful part of the lake but people are staying out of the water."
EPA staff have collected water and fish samples, which are undergoing analysis.
Wangi resident Steven Bless said he found it difficult to accept the fish died from a lack of oxygen.
"I think there's something toxic in the water," he said.
"I've been around the water all my life and I love fishing. Things like mullet and flathead and stuff that I've seen washed up here ... you can go up to Karuah or anywhere and you will find these fish in really brackish water with low salt content. I don't think it's the oxygen in the water I think it's some sort of toxicity."
Staff from Vales point power station assisted with the clean up of the latest fish kill on Tuesday.
Delta Electricity spokesman Steve Gurney rejected suggestions that the power station had contributed to either event.
"Delta has undertaken its own investigations and has fully cooperated with the EPA as part of its investigations, which included EPA site attendance and water sampling yesterday," he said.
Swansea MP Yasmin Catley said she had written to Environment Minister James Griffin and Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders to request every available resource be used in the investigation.
"Having two significant fish kill events within a matter of weeks is extremely concerning, distressing for the community, and is unprecedented in Lake Macquarie," she said. "I remain in contact with the EPA and will continue to update the community as new information comes to hand. It is important that the EPA conducts its testing urgently so we can be guided by the science in responding to these events."
An EPA investigation concluded that the incident in early August was likely a natural event. Water sampling, toxicity testing and analysis showed there are no significant findings of pesticides, metals or toxicity.
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