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DEQ.utah.gov -Utah Department of Environmental Quality

The Official Web site of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality

NEWS RELEASE
October 27, 2004

Contacts:
Utah Department of Environmental Quality: John Whitehead, (801) 538-6053
Utah Department of Health: Jana Kettering, (801) 538-6339
Summit County Health Department: Robert Swensen, (435) 336-3227

Health Officials Issue Fish Advisory for Silver Creek

(Salt Lake City, Utah) - Elevated arsenic levels have been found in trout from Silver Creek in Summit County, prompting the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and Summit County Health Department to issue a fish consumption advisory.

Officials are recommending that adults should limit their consumption of these trout to no more than two 8-ounce servings per month. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under age 12 should not eat more than one 4-ounce serving per month. A serving for meat and fish is the size of a deck of cards.

As a part of a water quality and mine waste investigation on Silver Creek, trout were sampled from four different locations on Silver Creek. Elevated arsenic levels were found in about one-fourth of the fish sampled. A risk assessment shows that adults eating more than two 8-ounce servings per month over a long period of time could result in an intake of arsenic that exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health standards, based on UDOH analysis. Any health risks associated with eating fish from Silver Creek are based on long-term consumption and are not tied to eating fish occasionally. Other metals that were analyzed did not appear to pose a human health risk, according to the UDOH analysis. No known illnesses have been associated with consuming trout from the creek to date.
Fish consumption advisory signs will be posted at access points along the creek, primarily along the rail trail that parallels Silver Creek. In addition, information about the advisory will be distributed at kiosks at trailheads along the rail trail and at the information center in Park City.

UDEQ, UDOH and Summit County Health Department will continue to monitor arsenic levels in the fish and water. The advisory will be updated as needed based on additional information.

Click here for more information PDF File (opens in a new window).

 

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