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February 23, 2000

Mercury taints two region rivers

By Josh Shaffer Staff writer

ROWAN -- About a year ago, Larry Horrell quit eating Black River fish.

They practically swim past his house, where the river bends through the swamps of east Bladen County.

But hog farms and garbage- choked water turned him away from the fish he caught for 78 years, along with a new threat -- mercury.

Ive been on this river all my life, he said Tuesday, and I dont eat the fish anymore. If I catch a bass, I throw him back in the water.

Earlier this week, the state health director warned that mercury levels are abnormally high in the South River and the southern portion of the Black River.

The rivers are still safe for boaters, but the director says children and pregnant women should avoid eating largemouth bass, bowfin and chain pickerel.

Everyone else should follow a limit of two meals a month for the affected fish.

This is a yellow flag, not a red flag, said Dr. Luanne Williams, a state toxicologist.

The South River runs through Harnett and Sampson counties, then meets the Black River at the Bladen County border. It is slow, murky water -- the color of iced tea.

It isnt certain how the mercury arrived.

Williams could not pinpoint a specific cause for the high levels of mercury, but she listed a half-dozen possible sources: coal- burning power plants; municipal or industrial waste. An odorless metal, mercury can travel long distances through the air.

But there is something particular about the water east of Interstate 95 that allows mercury to convert into a form that fish can ingest.

Certain bacteria that are found naturally in the river mercury to accumulate.

These rivers are already vulnerable, Williams said.

Mercury builds up inside a fishs tissue. When a bigger fish eats a smaller one, the bigger fish ends up with a higher level of mercury.

Bowfin and bass are large fish, and Williams said eating smaller, younger ones is safest.

The warning is likely to remain for years, Williams said. Mercury does not break down and go away. As fish die, it passes into the sediment to be eaten by other fish.

Its going to take a lot of reactions and a lot of time, she said.

Ideally, it would be great if we could reduce our mercury emissions.

Horrell acknowledges that he is no toxicologist, but he blames the steady rise of hog farms. Sampson County is the second largest hog-producing county in the state.

Never in my life have these rivers been checked with mercury in it until those hogs came in, he said.

Now there are places near his home where he cannot navigate his boat.

That river out there was cleaner than the well water 25 years ago, he said. Im really depressed over it.

LINK

-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 23, 2000

Answers

Mercury is a major concern in many of Massachusetts' waterways. The chief suspect is the abundance of local trash-to-energy plants, and in particular those tiny button batteries. As a result, there is a health advisory to drastically limit fish consumption.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), February 23, 2000.

Thank you for you input on this Brooks...much appreciated. This is my locale, so it hits "close to home"...literally.

-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 23, 2000.