HARRISBURG, PA — State environmental and health officials have issued a “Do Not Eat” advisory for all fish species in Briar Creek in Columbia County and Middle Spring Creek in Cumberland and Franklin counties after testing found elevated levels of PFOS, a long-lasting industrial chemical linked to health risks.
What This Means for You
- Anglers are advised not to eat any fish from the affected sections of Briar Creek and the entire Middle Spring Creek watershed.
- Trout stocking in those waters has been suspended until further notice.
- The state is investigating pollution sources and installing drinking water filtration systems for affected residents.
Chemical Levels Trigger Advisory
The Pennsylvania Departments of Environmental Protection and Health, along with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, issued the advisory after fish tissue samples showed PFOS levels above 0.04 parts per million, the state’s “do not eat” threshold.
PFOS, or Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, is part of a group of manmade compounds often called “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly in the environment and can accumulate in water, soil, wildlife, and the human body.
“Protecting public health is a top priority for us. Advisories like these are not something that we recommend lightly and DEP will continue to sample fish species and revisit this recommendation in the future,” DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said.
Areas Covered by the Advisory
The advisory applies to:
- Briar Creek, West Branch Briar Creek, and portions of East Branch Briar Creek downstream of Briar Creek Reservoir in Columbia County.
- The entire Middle Spring Creek watershed in Cumberland and Franklin counties.
The advisory does not include Briar Creek Reservoir itself or portions of East Branch Briar Creek upstream of the reservoir.
Fishing remains permitted in the affected waters, but anglers are advised not to consume any fish caught there, including both wild and stocked trout.
Trout Stocking Suspended
As a result of the advisory, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will discontinue trout stocking in the impacted waters until further notice.
“Whenever a stream, or lake, is removed from our trout stocking list, we make every effort to keep the fish local and stock them in nearby waters for anglers to enjoy,” said PFBC Executive Director Tim Schaeffer. “We intend to do the same in this case.”
The commission said it will attempt to reallocate trout originally planned for these streams to nearby waters to maintain recreational fishing opportunities.
Officials emphasized that trout stocked in other waters across Pennsylvania remain safe to harvest, subject to the state’s standard fish consumption advisory of no more than one meal — about one-half pound — per week for recreationally caught sport fish.
Cleanup and Water Protection Efforts
The watersheds are being investigated under the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, a state law that provides funding and authority for environmental cleanup and drinking water protection.
As part of that response, 30 point-of-entry treatment systems have been installed in the Briar Creek watershed to filter contaminants from residential water supplies. An additional 24 systems are planned for installation in the Middle Spring Creek watershed.
Officials said identifying and addressing contamination sources is the first step in resolving the issue, and several potential sources have already been identified as part of the ongoing investigation.
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