OEHHA Issues Updated ‘Do Not Eat’ Fish Advisory for Multiple Water Bodies in the Guadalupe River Watershed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 764-0955
Sam.Delson@oehha.ca.gov
State Advice Based on Elevated Levels of Mercury
SACRAMENTO – A state fish advisory issued today recommends that no fish be consumed from Alamitos Creek, Almaden Lake, Almaden Reservoir, Calero Creek, Calero Reservoir, Guadalupe Creek, Guadalupe Reservoir, Guadalupe River, and associated percolation ponds, all located in Santa Clara County.
The new advisory updates previous advice released in 1987. The “do not consume” recommendations remain the same, with the addition of two new water bodies: Almaden Lake and Calero Creek. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) evaluated data collected through 2019 and developed the recommendations based on high levels of mercury found in fish caught from these water bodies.
These water bodies are located in the Guadalupe River Watershed in Santa Clara County, which has a history of intensive mercury mining. The New Almaden Mining District, located in the Guadalupe River watershed, was North American’s largest producing mercury mine, and mining waste continues to deposit mercury into the watershed. Calero, Almaden and Guadalupe Creeks flow northward from the Santa Cruz Mountains toward San Jose. Water from these creeks feeds the Guadalupe River, which flows through San Jose to San Francisco Bay. The reservoirs named in the advisory are located along the three creeks and the river.
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is released into the environment from mining and burning coal. It accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses.
A poster with the “do not eat” advice for these water bodies is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish.
The advisory joins more than 100 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs, and the California coast. Advisories are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories web page.
OEHHA’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of Californians and our state’s environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions.
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