The state issued new fish consumption advisories Friday for parts of Neely Henry Reservoir and upper Lay Reservoir on the Coosa River.
State investigators found elevated levels of PCBs in fish tissue samples in channel catfish in the several-mile Croft Ferry area of Neely Henry Reservoir, north of Gadsden, and in spotted bass in the vicinity of Ratcliff Island, two miles downstream of Logan Martin Dam on the western border of Talladega County.
The Alabama Department of Public Health announced a "no consumption" advisory for channel catfish and "limited consumption" for spotted bass, in those two parts of the Coosa River, respectively.
This increases the total list of fish advisories on the Coosa River from five to six. The spotted bass advisory has actually been downgraded from "no consumption" this year, while the addition of the channel catfish at Croft Ferry may represent the state's first-ever fish advisory in that stretch of river.
State toxicologist Dr. Neil Sass said the high PCB concentrations at Croft Ferry is perplexing. "We can't explain it," he said, adding that there are no significant PCB concentrations above or below the area.
He said both areas will be tested again in the fall.
Since 1989, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has collected fish from state waterways and analyzed them for contaminants. Then it is up to the health department to issue fish consumption advisories.
"No consumption" advisories mean no one should eat fish of the affected species in the particular area. "Limited consumption" means women of childbearing age and children less than 15 years old should not consume the specified fish, and other people should eat no more than one fish meal per month containing that species.
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