The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has announced a precautionary fish consumption advisory for bass species in a portion of the East Fork Stones River in Rutherford County.The advisory is the result of fish tissue sampling at multiple stations in the summer and fall of 2018, which indicated that in species such as smallmouth bass and largemouth bass, mercury trigger points recommended by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration are being exceeded.
It’s advised that pregnant or nursing mothers and children avoid eating bass species from the portion of the East Fork included in the advisory. All others should limit consumption of bass to one meal per month. Other recreational activities on the East Fork Stones River such as boating, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk from mercury.
The advisory extends from the mouth at the confluence with the West Fork Stones River in upper J. Percy Priest Reservoir upstream to Betty Ford Road near Lascassas. Walter Hill Lake, a small impoundment on the East Fork near the community of Walter Hill, is included in the advisory.
The Department (TDEC) is not aware of any local sources of mercury to the East Fork Stones River. According to the EPA, atmospheric deposition due to the global burning of coal is the most frequent reason for elevated levels of mercury in fish.
The agency will post warning signs at public access points and will work with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to communicate this information to the public.
