DEQ Issues Mercury Warning About Fish In Some Oklahoma Lakes

The Oklahoma Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) has issued fish consumption advisories for 32 state lakes after receiving results of tests conducted with the cooperation of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The DEQ announced Thursday that some species of fish in the lakes have levels of mercury above what is considered safe for unlimited consumption.

Those lakes are:

• Atoka Lake

• Boomer Lake

• Broken Bow Reservoir

• Canton Lake

• Carlton Lake

• Cedar Lake

• Clayton Lake

• Coalgate City Lake

• Draper Lake

• Dripping Springs Lake

• Elmer Thomas Lake

• Ft. Supply Reservoir

• Hugo Lake

• Kaw Reservoir

• Lake Carl Albert

• Lake Carl Blackwell

• Lake Eufaula

• Lake Heyburn

• Lake Nanih Waiya

• Lake Ozzie Cobb

• Lake Talawanda #2

• Lake Wayne Wallace

• Lloyd Church Lake

• McAlester City Lake

• McGee Creek Reservoir

• Pine Creek Reservoir

• Quanah Parker Lake

• Rush Lake

• Sardis Lake

• Schooler Lake

• Skiatook Lake

• Wister Lake

DEQ's general guidance recommends that the sensitive population (women of child bearing age and children up to the age of 15) should eat no more than one meal per week of predator fish, which includes largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, white, striped, or hybrid bass, walleye, saugeye, and flathead catfish. In an effort to reduce exposure to mercury, everyone should eat smaller fish and eat a variety of fish.

The levels of mercury in a lake do not affect the lake's safety as a source of drinking water or for lake recreation such as swimming and boating.

For detailed information on the advisories and testing, visit the DEQ fish consumption webpage at www.deq.state.ok.us/CSDnew/fish/index.htm