NC Division of Public Health: PCBs in Badin Lake fish can’t be directly linked to Alcoa

Alcoa has received a memo prepared by the NC Division of Public Health (DPH) in July 2010 that casts a great shadow of doubt over contentions that Alcoa is solely responsible for PCBs found in Badin Lake.


The memo, provided to Alcoa as a public record from Stanly County, indicates that Alcoa cannot be identified as the source of PCBs found in Badin Lake fish.   


“It is possible that the PCBs in Badin Lake have been contributed from sources other than the Alcoa facility.  As far as DPH knows, upstream sources of PCBs have not been evaluated,” the memo states.


Click here to read the entire memo.


Alcoa has long believed that upstream sources of PCB contamination deserve closer scrutiny.  The NC Division of Water Quality has reported that fish in the Yadkin River near Mocksville – well upstream of Badin Lake – have PCBs levels similar to the fish in Badin Lake.


There are 4,500 square miles that drain into the Yadkin Project and more than 100 industrial users and municipalities are permitted to release discharges into the Yadkin River upstream of Badin Lake.