Yadkin Riverkeeper Applauds Installation of Fish Consumption Advisory Signs at Badin Lake

Environmental Group Asks Alcoa to Defend Its Continuing Appeal of Advisory with the State of North Carolina and its Relationship with PCBs Found in the Lake

[USPRwire, Tue Sep 01 2009] The Yadkin Riverkeeper® has applauded the recent installation of fish consumption advisory signs along Badin Lake warning people not to eat catfish and largemouth bass from the reservoir due to elevated levels of PCBs found in samples in a study conducted by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS issued this advisory for Badin Lake, which empties into the Yadkin River via Narrows Dam, on Feb. 11, but Alcoa, which oversees the lake as part of its management of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project, has opposed having the signs on the site and filed an appeal April 9 protesting the issuance of the advisory, claiming it was unjustified. In light of a follow-up study released in early August by water quality expert John H. Rodgers, Jr., Ph.D., that confirmed there is a relationship between the PCBs used at Alcoa’s Badin Works facility on the Yadkin River and the PCBs found in the fish and sediments in Badin Lake, the Yadkin Riverkeeper says Alcoa’s actions reflect poorly on its claims of being environmentally sensitive for the Project and serves as further justification that it should not receive another 50-year federal license to manage the Project, as it is now trying to accomplish.

Dean Naujoks, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, said Alcoa’s denials about its involvement with PCBs in Badin Lake are a moot point with the latest study. He is asking the company to explain why it has been fighting the advisory strenuously even as more evidence indicates it is the source of much contamination at the lake.

“The installation of these signs is overdue, given how DHHS first announced the advisory to the media six months ago,” said Naujoks. “Since then, Alcoa has fought to keep these signs going up as required by law, which says volumes about how it respects environmental legislation for the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project. What Alcoa says about its commitment for improving the environmental quality of the Project often is not squaring up with what it is actually doing right now.”

The posted bilingual (English and Spanish) fish consumption advisory signs at the lake read as follows:

“Do not eat more than one (1) meal a week of catfish or largemouth bass from Badin Lake. If you are pregnant, may become pregnant, are nursing, or are a child under 15 years of age, do not eat any of these fish. Elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in some catfish and largemouth bass. Swimming, boating, and handling fish do not present a known health risk.

“Eating more than one meal a week of these fish may increase a person’s risk of developing health problems such as cancer, infection, or skin problems. The babies of pregnant or nursing women who eat these fish may experience developmental or other health problems.”

PCBs are probable human carcinogens and are associated with other health risks, including anemia; damage to the liver, stomach or thyroid gland; changes in the immune system or reproductive system; and behavioral problems.

When he was appointed Yadkin Riverkeeper, Naujoks reviewed reports of existing contamination at Badin Lake, a 5,300-acre body of water that flows into the river in Stanly County via Narrows Dam. It is one of four reservoirs along a 38-mile stretch of the Yadkin River that comprise the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project. Reports of decades of pollution in the area associated with a now-defunct smelter Alcoa operated near it, including data that Alcoa discharged such contaminants as PCBs into the air, land and waterways, prompted Naujoks to investigate other items regarding the firm’s activities.

Naujoks has been following studies of Badin Lake intently, especially the work of Dr. Rodgers, who participated in the DHHS sampling and continued researching the lake by collecting and studying seven sediment samples and reviewing N.C. Division of Waste Management data on the PCBs used at the Alcoa Badin Works Facility. PCBs are a family of industrial chlorinated chemical compounds that include 209 possible forms, or “congeners,” so Dr. Rogers and Dr. Matt Huddleston analyzed the PCB congeners and concentrations in the fish tissue with those in sediment samples from the southwest arm of Badin Lake (near the Alcoa facility) and other parts of the lake.

Dr. Rodgers concluded from his research the relationship between PCBs used at Alcoa’s Badin Works facility on the Yadkin River and the PCBs found in the fish and sediments in Badin Lake. Congeners detected in the fish tissue provided further evidence of sediments as a source of PCBs, while PCB congeners detected in sediments from the southwest arm (near the Alcoa facility) have concentrations 10 to 100 times greater than sediments from other parts of the lake.

With this information and other research he has studied, Naujoks opposes Alcoa’s relicensing effort, because his obligations as Yadkin Riverkeeper involve respecting, protecting, and improving the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin, and the firm’s application fails to meet these goals for the river.

“Alcoa has a hard time even acknowledging the fact that there are PCBs in the lake, which is bad enough, but given the threats PCBs pose to humans, it is a disgrace that Alcoa would rather jeopardize people’s health than be honest about its situation,” concluded Naujoks. “They should not be allowed to act this way for another 50 years and abuse the public trust for the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project.”

About the Yadkin Riverkeeper®:
The Yadkin Riverkeeper’s mission is to respect, protect and improve the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin through education, advocacy and action. It is aimed at creating a clean and healthy river that sustains life and is cherished by its people. To achieve this vision, it seeks to accomplish the following objectives: sustain a RIVERKEEPER® program, measurably improve water quality, reestablish native bio-diversity, preserve and enhance the forest canopy, bring legal action to enforce state and federal environmental laws, and teach and practice a “river ethic” of ecological respect to all ages. For more information, visit http://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org or call 336-293-8105.

About Dean Naujoks:
Dean Naujoks is the Yadkin Riverkeeper, employed by Yadkin Riverkeeper Inc. since the fall of 2008 to manage and implement a river advocacy program for the Yadkin Pee Dee River watershed in North Carolina that will keep it a healthy and vibrant river for residents and businesses in the long term. Yadkin Riverkeeper is a licensed member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, which connects and supports local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice and champion clean water for waterways and their communities worldwide. A longtime water quality advocate, Naujoks became the first Upper Neuse Riverkeeper in 2001 at the nonprofit Neuse River Foundation. His job there was to monitor conditions and advocate for protection of the Neuse River from Falls Lake to Goldsboro. He was appointed by Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker to serve on the joint government PCB Task Force to address PCB contamination in Crabtree Creek from Ward Transformer. A graduate of N.C. State, Naujoks created his own major in environmental policy and sustainable development. He also worked for the NC Wild Life Federation from 1991-1999. Naujoks has received American Rivers’ 2009 National “River Hero” Award on behalf of his efforts.

Media Contact:
Dean Naujoks
Yadkin Riverkeeper®
2435 Westfield Ave.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
dean@yadkinriverkeeper.org
www.yadkinriverkeeper.org

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