Article Date: 7/15/2009

Concern about protecting the public from possible exposure to mercury from eating fish led to
the issuance of nine new fish consumption advisories for bodies of water in Alabama in the
following counties: Barbour, Covington, Escambia, Greene, Russell and Shelby. Advisories for
three other bodies of water also were modified.

All advisories previously issued using Food and Drug Administration guidelines remain in effect
for 2009. The quality of water, based upon the levels of contaminants in fish from the waters in
Alabama, generally continues improvements made in recent years.

The Alabama Department of Public Health annually updates fish consumption advisories based
on data collected the preceding fall by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
ADEM collected samples of specific fish species from various bodies of water throughout the
state during the fall of 2008. ADPH assessed the analytical results to determine whether any of
the tested contaminants in the fish could give rise to potential human health effects.

Fish consumption advisories are issued for specific bodies of water and specific species taken
from those areas. In reservoirs, advisories apply to waters as far as a boat can be taken
upstream in a tributary, that is, to full pool elevations.

Beginning with the 2007 advisories, ADPH adopted a contaminant level for mercury in fish that
would protect those who might consider eating more than one fish meal per week. The new U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency standards are four times more protective than FDA levels
previously used. New advisories are issued in terms of the number of meals a particular fish can
safely be eaten in a given period of time, such as meals per week, meals per month or no
consumption. A meal portion consists of 6 ounces of cooked fish or 8 ounces of raw fish. Other
advisories have been updated to reflect the EPA consumption levels for mercury-contaminated
fish.

New consumption advisories were issued for the nine bodies of water, locations or species
described here.

New Advisories for 2009
Cowikee Creek – Barbour County
Cowikee Creek embayment of W. F. George Reservoir; approximate area from U.S. 431 bridge
to Chattahoochee River main channel; in vicinity of Lakepoint Resort and State Park
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gantt Reservoir – Covington County
Conecuh River, Gantt Reservoir, lake-wide sample
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point A Reservoir – Covington County
Conecuh River, Point A Reservoir, lake-wide sample
Largemouth bass
Contaminant –Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patsaliga Creek - Covington County
Patsaliga Creek embayment of Point A Reservoir
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burnt Corn Creek – Escambia County
Upstream of confluence with Murder Creek
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sipsey River – Greene County
Sipsey River Embayment, approximately 0.5 mi upstream of confluence with Tombigbee River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Uchee Creek – Russell County
Uchee Creek vicinity of Uchee Recreational Area
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lay Reservoir – Shelby County
Approximately 1.5 mile downstream of U.S. Hwy 280 bridge; vicinity of river mile 444
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
Striped bass
Contaminant – PCBs
Consumption level - Do not consume
Channel catfish
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, the following advisories have been modified based upon most recent sampling:
Fish River – Baldwin County
In vicinity of confluence with Polecat Creek approximately one mile upstream of County Road
32 bridge
Largemouth bass
One meal per 2 months
(1/2 meal per month)
Black crappie
Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Escatawpa River – Mobile County
At U.S. Highway 98 bridge crossing approximately one-tenth mile upstream of Alabama
/Mississippi line
Spotted bass, largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per 2 months (or one-half meal per month) for spotted bass
One meal per month for largemouth bass
Blacktail redhorse
Contaminant – Mercury
One meal per month
Channel catfish
Contaminant – Mercury
One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lewis Smith Reservoir - Winston County
Rock Creek, Lewis Smith Reservoir in vicinity of Little Crooked Creek and Rock Creek Marina,
approximately 5 miles upstream from Sipsey Fork
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish from the following sites were analyzed and found to contain no contaminants at levels that
required posting of advisories. Fish from these bodies of water can be consumed with no
restrictions: Chattahoochee River (Houston County); Harding Reservoir and Osanippa and
Halawakee Creeks embayments of Harding Reservoir (Lee County); Perdido Bay (Baldwin
County); Sipsey River (Tuscaloosa County); W. F. George Reservoir (Henry and Barbour
counties); Barbour Creek embayment of W. F. George Reservoir (Barbour County); West Point
Reservoir (Troup County, Ga.), Flint Creek, (Morgan County); Wheeler Reservoir (Morgan and
Lawrence counties), and Bakers Creek embayment of Wheeler Reservoir in Morgan County.
Fish were analyzed for up to 30 different materials or types of materials, including contaminants
in the water (PCBs, including dioxins), pesticides (endosulfan, hexachlorobenzene, chlordane,
lindane, dieldrin, endrin, DDT and its breakdown products and congeners, heptachlors, Mirex,
chlorpyriphos and toxaphene), and heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury and selenium) to
which the fish may have been exposed. In addition, fish were examined for body appearance,
lipid content, age and weight.

Fish are good indicators of the health of a body of water. Some contaminants can
bioaccumulate in fish. The contaminant could enter the food supply through either crustaceans
or bottom feeding fish in a given area. These species would be eaten by larger or more
aggressive species, thereby transferring the contaminant from the species consumed to the
larger species.

The advice contained in this release and complete listings of the posted fish consumption
advisories (http://www.adph.org) are offered as guidance to individuals who wish to eat fish they
catch from various bodies of water throughout the state. No regulations ban the consumption of
any of the fish caught within the state, nor is there a risk of an acute toxic episode that could
result from consuming any of the fish containing the contaminants for which the state has
conducted analyses.

A “No Consumption Advisory” issued for any species is interpreted to mean that the fish
sampled have been analyzed to show the presence of a contaminant in excess of advisory
levels. Consumption of any fish of this type from a specific water body may place the consumer
at risk for harm from the contaminant. If an advisory had been issued for largemouth bass and
not for other species it would be advised that individuals should eat no largemouth bass, but
consumption of the other species may be permissible without endangering health.
The intent of a “Limited Consumption Advisory” is for women of childbearing age, pregnant
women and children (less than 15 years of age) to refrain from consumption of any fish
indicated under this advisory. All other individuals should limit their consumption of the particular
species to one meal per month.

For example, the FDA tolerance level for PCBs is calculated to protect people who consume
one meal of fish a month throughout their lifetime. Individuals who eat these fish more frequently
or for many years place themselves at greater risk. Individuals who eat these fish only once
each month or less frequently are at less risk.

PCBs are listed by EPA as "probable human carcinogens." This listing is used for chemicals
that have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals but have not been shown to cause
cancer in humans. PCBs have also been associated with a skin disorder known as chloracne as
well as changes in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in human blood.
Women of childbearing age and children should not consume any of these fish for which a
Limited or No Consumption Advisory exists.

The following advisories, issued in previous years, remain in effect:
Subsequent sampling and analysis render the advisories in the meal per month format.
BODY OF WATER / PORTION / TYPE OF ADVISORY / CONTAMINANT
Bear Creek Reservoir – Franklin County
Dam forebay area
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Escambia Creek – Escambia County
At the Louisville and Nashville Railroad bridge crossing
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bilbo Creek – Washington County
Upstream of the confluence with the Tombigbee River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackwater River – Baldwin County
In the area between the mouth of the river and the pipeline crossing southeast of Robertsdale
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per two months (One-half meal per month)
blacktail red horse
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackwater River – Escambia County
Between the County Road 4 bridge and the Alabama/Florida line
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bon Secour River – Baldwin County
Vicinity of County Road 10 Bridge
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cedar Creek – Houston County
Cedar Creek drainage from American Brass site near Headland tributary to Omussee Creek
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claiborne Reservoir – Clarke, Monroe counties
Dam forebay area and in vicinity of Lower Peachtree Access Area, approximately River Mile 96
close to the intersection of Clarke, Monroe and Wilcox counties
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - Two meals per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chickasaw Creek – Mobile County
Entire creek
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Choccolocco Creek – Calhoun, Talladega counties
Entire length of creek from south of Oxford to Logan Martin Lake
Contaminant - PCBs
Do not consume any fish
In the vicinity of County Road 399 bridge
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Choccolocco Creek – Calhoun County
In the vicinity of Boiling Springs Road bridge crossing
Spotted bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Choctawhatchee River – Geneva County
Entire river
Spotted bass, Redear sunfish
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cold Creek Swamp – Mobile County
From confluence of Cold Creek with the Mobile River west through the swamp
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume any fish
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conecuh River – Escambia County
From Alabama/Florida line to Sepulga River including Murder Creek tributary
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coosa River – Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega counties
Between Neely Henry Dam and Riverside
Contaminant – PCBs
Limited consumption of catfish over 1 pound
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coosa River – St. Clair, Talladega counties
Between Riverside and Logan Martin Dam
Contaminant – PCBs
Do not consume striped bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coosa River – Chilton, Coosa, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega counties
Lay Lake between Logan Martin Dam and Lay Dam
Contaminant - PCBs
Do not consume striped bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coosa River – St. Clair County
In upper Lay Reservoir approximately two miles downstream of Logan Martin Dam and one-half
mile downstream from the Kelly Creek - Coosa River confluence in the vicinity of
Ratcliff/Elliott Island
Contaminant – PCBs
Limited consumption of spotted bass
Do not consume striped bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cowpen Creek – Baldwin County
Upstream of confluence with Fish River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Escatawpa River – Mobile County
At U.S. Highway 98 bridge crossing approximately one-tenth mile upstream of Alabama
/Mississippi line
Spotted bass, largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per 2 months (or one-half meal per month) for spotted bass
One meal per month for largemouth bass
Blacktail redhorse
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
Channel catfish
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish River – Baldwin County
In vicinity of confluence with Polecat Creek approximately one mile upstream of County Road
32 bridge
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per 2 months (or one-half meal per month)
Approximately two miles upstream of U.S. 98 bridge in the vicinity of Waterhole Branch/Fish
River confluence
just above the two islands
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fowl River – Mobile County
Mobile County in vicinity of Muddy Creek confluence and Fowl River Road bridge
Largemouth bass
Contaminant - Mercury
Consumption level – One-half meal per month (one meal per two months)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf Coast – Baldwin, Mobile counties
Entire coast
Do not consume king mackerel over 39 inches
Contaminant – Mercury
Limited consumption of king mackerel under 39 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Huntsville Spring Branch and Indian Creek – Madison County
From Redstone Arsenal to the Tennessee River
Contaminant – DDT
Do not consume smallmouth or bigmouth buffalofish
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Little Escambia Creek – Escambia County
In Escambia County at U.S. Highway 31/29 bridge
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month for largemouth bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank Jackson Lake - Covington County
Lightwood Knot Creek, Frank Jackson Lake lake-wide, Opp
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lake Jackson – Covington County
Lake Jackson located on the Alabama/Florida line at Florala
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mobile River – Mobile County
At and south of the confluence with Cold Creek
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pea River – Geneva County
Entire river
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level – Two meals per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perdido River – Baldwin County
Near confluence with Styx River in vicinity of U.S. Highway 90 bridge crossing
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month for largemouth bass
Two meals per month for river redhorse
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polecat Creek – Baldwin County
Upstream of confluence with Fish River
Largemouth bass
Contaminant – Mercury
Consumption level - One meal per month
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opossum Creek – Jefferson County
From the Pumping Station to the confluence with Valley Creek
Contaminant – Mercury
Do not consume largemouth bass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sepulga River - Escambia County
Sepulga River upstream of Conecuh River confluence

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