In March of 2018, a release of ferric chloride occurred at the Gold Creek Foods, LLC facility in Dawson County, GA. A 55-gallon drum was punctured, and ferric chloride was released to the waters of Flat Creek; the release resulted in a complete loss of aquatic life in 3.7 miles of Flat Creek, including a fish kill involving over two hundred federally threatened Cherokee darters, Etheostoma scotti. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (collectively the Natural Resource Trustees) are working cooperatively with Gold Creek Foods, LLC to review site-specific data, evaluate restoration alternatives to compensate for natural resource injuries and lost services resulting from the spill, and reach a cost-effective resolution.