By Todd Hartman
State
health regulators have discovered unsafe mercury levels in fish in five
more Colorado water bodies, including popular Horsetooth Reservoir west
of Fort Collins, prompting new warnings for anglers.
The
new data show mercury accumulations in four species of fish at levels
greater than one-half part per million, the level at which regulators
say people should limit their consumption. Pregnant women and children
should heed even tighter limits or avoid the fish altogether, officials
say.
The
latest mercury warnings are in addition to advisories already posted at
nine other Colorado lakes and reservoirs, the bulk of them in the
state's southwestern quadrant near a cluster of large coal-fired power
plants in the Four Corners region that many believe are a key
contributor to the problem.
The
five new sites are Horsetooth, Totten Reservoir near Cortez, Purdy
Reservoir near Grand Junction, Horseshoe Reservoir west of Walsenburg
and Trinidad Lake near Trinidad. Fish species affected are walleye,
saugeye, wiper and largemouth bass.
A
key source of the mercury is most likely airborne deposits of emissions
from coal-burning power plants. But determining from which plants - or
which states or nations - the pollution originates is controversial, as
industry, environmentalists and scientists often disagree on the
matter.
"We
certainly have coal-fired plants in this state and some in adjoining
states - there are a whole lot of coal-fired plants across the whole
Northern Hemisphere," said Steve Gunderson, director of Colorado's
Water Quality Control Division. "There are questions about
contributions North America is receiving from Asia and China."
The
new mercury warnings come amid contentious debate in Colorado and
nationally over proposals requiring power plants to control mercury
emissions. A state air-quality board was to rule on the matter
Wednesday, but interest groups asked for more time to reach a
consensus.
"I
think this is a wake-up call to Colorado that the problem of mercury
from coal-fired power plants is real, and we have to find a solution
quickly," said Will Coyne of Environment Colorado. "This is a serious
problem, with serious ramifications that will require serious
solutions."
Once
deposited in water, natural processes can transform mercury into a
highly toxic form known as methylmercury, which accumulates in fish and
animals, including humans, that eat fish. Exposure is of greatest
concern for unborn babies and young children, where it may harm the
developing nervous system, affecting a child's ability to think and
learn.
The
news could force the Colorado Division of Wildlife to alter the way it
manages some fisheries. At Horsetooth Reservoir, for example, mercury
warnings will discourage people from taking the largest fish, as they'd
likely have the highest levels.
"We
need to adjust our management of that reservoir so it doesn't become
top-heavy with big, top-predator fish," said Tyler Baskfield, a DOW
spokesman.
Jim
Sanderson, an attorney representing utilities, said he doesn't believe
the elevated mercury levels are linked to Colorado facilities, but he
added: "That doesn't mean nothing should be done. The utilities I'm
working with are willing to make reductions over time, as the program
calls for."
