Mercury Consumption Advisory List Expanded by Seven Oklahoma Lakes

SURFACE MINING

Lake Texoma in southeast Oklahoma is one of seven lakes recently added to a fish consumption advisory list by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Nicolas Henderson / Flickr

Mercury Consumption Advisory List Expanded by Seven Oklahoma Lakes

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has updated its mercury-affected fish-eating recommendation directory. Chandler Lake, Lake Hefner, Shawnee Twin Lakes, Sooner Lake, Lake Tenkiller, Lake Texoma, and Lake Thunderbird are the seven that have all been added to the list.

Five more lakes have been eliminated since the government last updated the list, bringing the total number of lakes with mercury consumption advisories to 66.

Mercury is released naturally through sources such as volcanoes and forest fires, according to Jay Wright, an environmental projects manager at the DEQ. Man-made sources, such as the gold mining industry, can also provide it. Mercury is released into the atmosphere, where it can eventually wind up in lakes and fish.

While Wright believes that eating fish is healthful, he also believes that fish with high mercury levels can be detrimental. According to the DEQ, mercury levels do not influence the lake's safety as a source of drinking water or for swimming and boating. Only the fish with too much mercury is a problem, which can be well avoided.

Oklahomans should still go fishing and consume fish, according to Erin Hatfield, a DEQ representative.

"We really encourage people to go fishing, and we also urge people to consume the fish they catch," Hatfield added.

"All they need is the most up-to-date information." And that's exactly what we've provided.”