Death of Some Animals Leads To Closure Of Exhibit at National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

An exhibit at Dubuque’s National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium will be closed for up to six weeks as staff respond to a chemical contamination that led to the death of two-thirds of the animals in the tank. A release states that the contamination in the Gulf of Mexico Aquarium occurred Wednesday, Oct. 9, and was caused by a propylene glycol leak in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system that runs above the aquarium in the National River Center. Staff responded to the leak quickly, working to divert it away from the tank, and closely monitored the behavior of the fish in the tank. Staff were able to recover one-third of the fish and move them into quarantine, but the remaining fish died, including the green moray eel and the red grouper.