Mining may have affected Fishtrap fish

Officials with the Division of Water are expecting to release an advisory about the consumption of fish at Fishtrap Lake.

Eric Eisiminger, who is in charge of a two-year fish tissue research study for the Division of Water, said Friday that some fish in the lake have elevated levels of PCB's, a cancer-causing carcinogen.

In the past, Eisiminger said levels of PCBs found in fish at the lake were at “such low levels,” they didn't exceed the statewide limitation. The Division of Water “got word” from Virginia that the Levisa Fork was contaminated with PCBs three years ago, he said.

Eisiminger said the nothing is official yet, but he said he expects an advisory to be issued this year, telling people how much fish they should consume from the lake. The amount of fish recommended to be eaten, he said, will depend on the type of fish, as some fish absorb more PCBs than others. Recommended consumption of bottom-feeders like catfish or carp will likely be low, he said.

Eisiminger said the problem originates in Virginia, where officials there believe PCBs from old transformers were released into waterways.

“Years ago, they put PCB oil in transformers,” Eisiminger said. “Officials in Virginia speculate that people were pulling the cooper out of the transformers to recycle it, and, during the process, PCB oil spilled on the ground. They don't know that for sure, but with all the testing and investigation they've done, that's all they've decided.”

PCBs were found in multiple areas throughout the watershed, and Virginia officials believe the problem originated 30 to 40 years ago, long before people knew that PCBs were harmful.

“The levels aren't super horrible,” he said. “I personally would eat them.”

Eisiminger said officials will also be doing research downstream of Fishtrap Dam to determine if the PCBs contaminated other waterways. The possibility of that problem existing is low, he said, because PCBs aren't usually very mobile when they settle into lake sediments at the bottom of the water.

“There's not a lot we can do to remediate the problem,” Eisiminger said, pointing out that officials can't pull out the PCB-infested sediment without causing more contamination to fish living there.

“I'm not surprised,” said Rodney Holbrook, Resource Manager for the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers at Fishtrap Lake. Similar advisories were issued several years ago for the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River in Virginia, he said.

The Corps routinely tests the lake's water, but they do not tests for heavy metals in the water.

Randy Paine, Supervisor of the Standards section of the Division of Water, said that the agency does “intense monitoring” of five water basins throughout the state over five-year intervals. The last testing done at Fishtrap in 2002 showed that the lake did meet standards to fully support aquatic life. Mercury levels analyzed in fish tissue at that time, he said, were below the level of concern.

Intense water monitoring studies will be conducted at Fishtrap again next year, he said.