Pennsylvania Officials Say Don't Eat Fish Caught In The Neshaminy Creek Basin

NESHAMINY, PA — Pennsylvania health and environmental officials are warning outdoor enthusiasts to avoid consuming any fish caught in the Neshaminy Creek Basin in Montgomery and Bucks Counties due to chemicals found in the water.

The "Do Not Eat" advisory was issued this week by officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and Department of Environmental Protection, along with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The reason for the advisory has to do with extremely high levels of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, or PFOS, found in the water.

The advisory extends to all fish throughout the Neshaminy Creek Basin, including Neshaminy Creek State Park and Tyler State Park, both of which are located in Bucks County.

The Neshaminy Creek is an approximately 40-mile long tributary that runs through Bucks County but the watershed traverses into Montgomery County. According to its Wikipedia page, 86 percent of the creek's watershed lies within Bucks County while the remaining 14 percent lies within Montgomery County.

State officials say that PFOS is one of a group of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkl chemical substances, or PFAS, that can readily accumulate within fish tissues, and could be passed on to those who consume fish caught in local waterways.

PFAS have also been detected in water supplies in Bucks and Montgomery counties, prompting studies into their possible adverse health effects.

The "Do Not Eat" advisory came from a multi-agency news release put out by environmental officials.

Prior to this year, Pennsylvania's Fish Consumption Advisory Program has been evaluating sport-caught fish in Pennsylvania waters for various contaminants, including PCBs, pesticides, and heavy metals.

This past year, Pennsylvania has adopted tiered meal advice for PFOS and has begun collecting and analyzing fish tissue samples for PFOS.

Fish tissue samples from the Neshaminy Creek watershed had levels exceeding the 0.2-parts-per-million "Do Not Eat" advisory level.

"An advisory like this is not something that we recommend lightly," said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell. "The possible PFOS levels found in fish tissue is greatly concerning. [My department] will continue to sample fish species and revisit this recommendation in the future."

As a result of the "Do Not Eat" advisory, the commission will discontinue fish stocking in the Neshaminy Creek basin until further notice. The commission will work to identify nearby replacement waters to redirect trout previously stocked in the basin, to provide continued recreational angling opportunities for stocked trout.

Fishing is still allowed in the basin, but anglers are urged to practice catch-and-release practices.
The first step in addressing this contamination is identifying sources, several of which have already been identified, including military installation superfund sites. Steps have been taken at these sites to remediate contaminated soils and groundwater.

Permit holders in the Neshaminy Creek watershed are also being asked to sample their discharges for PFAS.

"Whenever a stream or lake is removed from our trout stocking list, we take every opportunity to keep the fish local and place them in nearby waters for anglers to enjoy," said Tim Schaeffer, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission executive director. "We intend to do the same in this case to preserve the opening day and trout season experiences that are so important and valued in Bucks and Montgomery Counties and across the commonwealth."