Jefferson County's Leland Lake and Mountain Lakes are among the bodies of water tagged by the Washington State Department of Health's fish consumption advisories.

According to Liz Coleman, environmental public health spokeswoman for the Department of Health, her agency has added 32 new rivers, lakes, and streams to its list of locations with fish consumption advisories, as of Aug. 20.

Coleman noted the updated advisories also provide information on healthy fish options, as well as those species with meal restrictions.

“While mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly known as PCBs, continue to be responsible for most advisories around the state, the uptick is not an indication of increased contamination, but of an increase in available study data,” Coleman said.

She added the complete list of fish advisories around the state can be found on the agency's website, where it's searchable by the names of the rivers, lakes or streams, as well as the categories of fish species and counties, at doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/HealthDataVisualization/fishadvisory.

For Jefferson County, this means Leland Lake and Mountain Lakes are under advisories for mercury contamination, to which women and children are especially vulnerable.

Specifically, the Department of Health recommends eating no more than two meals a month of Largemouth Bass, and no more than eight meals a month of Yellow Perch, from Leland Lake.

For Mountain Lakes, the Department of Health recommends no more than four meals a month of either Brook Trout or Cutthroat Trout.

By contrast, the Department of Health has deemed Black Crappie from Leland Lake, and Rainbow Trout from Mountain Lakes, as “healthy choices” that can be eaten in unrestricted quantities.

For waterbodies without an advisory, Coleman recommended eating no more than one fish meal per week, and unless waterbody-specific information states otherwise, no more than two meals a month of Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass, and no meals at all of Northern Pikeminnow.

“Fish is a nutritious source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, and the Department of Health recommends eating at least two seafood meals a week, as part of a heart healthy diet,” Coleman said. “To reduce your exposure to contaminants in fish, eat a variety of fish from a variety of sources.”

OTHER ONGOING HEALTH MONITORING

This fish consumption advisory is entirely separate from the Jefferson County Public Health advisory that caused the closure of Quilcene Beach in July of this year.

Although Quilcene Beach has since been reopened, Michael Dawson, water quality manager for Jefferson County Public Health, recounted how high levels of bacteria prompted Jefferson County Public Health to issue a health advisory, and post a “closed” sign at the beach July 20.

“On Wednesday, July 18, enterococcus levels averaged over 600, more than double the closure level,” Dawson stated.

Dawson explained fecal bacteria are indicators of pathogens that can make people sick. He noted contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. He added children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

Jefferson County Public Health monitors local saltwater swimming beaches weekly, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, as part of the Washington BEACH program.

For questions about this and other Jefferson County beaches, visit jeffersoncountypublichealth.org.

To check the status of monitored beaches throughout Washington, see the Ecology Coastal Atlas at fortress.wa.gov/ecy/coastalatlas.

For more information about the BEACH program see epa.gov/beaches.