By Chad Sewich - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Kelsey Wheatcroft - email
INDIANA (WFIE) - A new study finds high levels of mercury in fish are taken from Indiana rivers and lakes, and some of the worst readings are right here in the Tri-State.
One in eight fish sampled from Indiana waters contained dangerous levels of mercury, according to a recent federal study.
In the Tri-State, water and fish samples were taken on the Wabash and White rivers in Vincennes, Mount Carmel and Petersburg.
These samples showed the highest levels of mercury in the state.
Seventeen percent of fish in Mount Carmel, 24 percent in Petersburg, and 30 percent of fish in the Vincennes watershed had levels of mercury that exceeded safety standards.
In a more concentrated area near Petersburg, 45 percent of fish had unsafe mercury readings.
The study, which was conducted by the U.S. Geological Society and IDEM from 2001 to 2006, also found 96 percent of discharged wastewater sampled in the state contained mercury, most of which exceeded federal standards.
Vanderburgh County officials say mercury discharge here is within federal guidelines.
Wastewater wasn't the main source of mercury in our lakes, rivers and streams. The mercury is coming from the air.
The study revealed that airborne mercury, primarily released by coal-burning power plants, pollutes rain and snow, which in turn makes it into waterways.
Vanderburgh County officials say even though the study paints a frightening picture, water from the tap is safe to drink.
Evansville Water Superintendent Roger Johnson says, "At least in the last nine years that we went back real quick and checked records, the levels have been non-detectable at all."
Standards for mercury found in fish are much lower because even small amounts of the heavy metal in the food chain, skyrocket as each animal ingests another.
For more information about the mercury study, just click this link. http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1780/
©2010 WFIE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
