Fish advisory should not impact water quality certificate

A lot of folks are wondering if the recent fish advisory issued for Badin Lake will impact APGI's application with the State of North Carolina to receive a Section 401 water quality certificate for the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project.

It shouldn’t.

The 401 water quality certificate focuses on the quality of water being discharged from our dams.  We are confident that the Yadkin Project will meet all relevant water quality standards.

A recent water test conducted as part of the 401 process has confirmed that no PCBs were detected in the Badin Lake water being discharged from the Badin dam — nor were any other contaminants found. This confirms prior results that have regularly shown that the water quality in Badin Lake is good and in compliance with applicable North Carolina water quality standards.

The N.C. Division of Water Quality has said it will study the source of PCB contamination in Badin Lake, and it should.  But that should not impact the Yadkin Project’s unrelated water quality certificate. 

Upstream sources of PCB contamination deserve attention

On the heels of a Badin Lake fish study conducted by the N.C. Division of Public Health, the N.C. Division of Water Quality has said it will study the source of PCB contamination in Badin Lake. 

It certainly should.  The fish study has understandably raised concerns among lake residents. 

It is my hope that this will lead to greater scrutiny of upstream sources of contamination that could be causing PCBs to flow downstream and into Badin Lake. 

A couple of reasons why upstream sources of contamination are a concern: (1) Three of the four fish with elevated levels of PCBs were located in the northwest portion of Badin Lake, several miles upstream of the Badin Works plant; and (2) Previous testing by the N.C. Division of Water Quality indicate that fish in the Yadkin River near Mocksville — upstream of Badin Lake — have been found to have elevated levels of PCBs. 

At a public meeting on Wednesday, Department of Health officials said it makes sense to look upstream for sources of the contamination.

Some have questioned whether Alcoa has a role in the contamination found in the fish.  Alcoa has been studying the sediments in Badin Lake closest to the Badin Works plant for years and has shared that data with the N.C. Division of Public Health and the N.C. Division of Waste Management.  We provided a study as far back as 1997 that found low levels of PCBs in isolated pockets of sediment located near the Badin Works plant. 

Here are two important points regarding those contaminated sediments:

(1) Importantly, the levels of PCBs in the sediment are already at or below levels typically required for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency.

(2) Sediment sampling conducted by Alcoa in Badin Lake in October 2008 demonstrated that contaminated sediments are isolated near outfall areas and are not migrating.

Rest assured, we take our environmental responsibility seriously and are continuing to work with the State of North Carolina to determine what additional work or ongoing monitoring might be necessary.

Low-level fish advisory doesn’t change recommended fish consumption at Badin Lake

The N.C. Division of Public Health has issued a low-level fish advisory for Badin Lake that reiterates its recommendation that residents should limit their consumption of largemouth bass and catfish to no more than once a week.  Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 15 should not eat these fish at all.

This advisory does not change the current recommendations for eating fish in Badin Lake in any way.  Under an existing statewide advisory for mercury, the N.C. Division of Public Health has already recommended limiting consumption of largemouth bass or other fish high in mercury to no more than once a week.

This advisory is the result of a fish tissue study that was recommended and partially funded by Stanly County.  The study — the most sophisticated study of fish tissue ever conducted in North Carolina — found slightly elevated levels of PCBs in one largemouth bass and three catfish out of 30 fish that were tested.

Given the prevalence of PCBs in every waterway in America, it is not surprising that a highly sensitive study would find a few fish with slightly elevated levels.  If the State used the same procedures to test fish in other lakes and rivers in North Carolina, it would likely find similar levels of PCBs in fish from those waters.

The presence of PCBs in fish is not an isolated issue affecting Badin Lake.  In fact, test results posted on the N.C. Division of Water Quality website indicate that fish in many other lakes and rivers across the state — including the Yadkin River near Mocksville, upstream of Badin Lake — have been found to have elevated levels of PCBs. 

At a public meeting on Wednesday, Department of Health officials said that although this study wasn’t designed to identify potential sources of contamination, it makes sense to look upstream for sources of the contamination since a majority of fish with elevated PCB levels were caught in the northwest part of the lake.