Anglers urged not to eat Lake Worth fish

High levels of toxic PCB found in some samples

04/18/2000

By Dianna Hunt / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH  City officials are urging people to avoid eating fish caught in Lake Worth because of high levels of toxic PCB found in some test samples.

But officials said the pollutant was not found in the water itself and the lake does not pose a threat to swimmers or the city's public water system. Lake Worth is a key source of drinking water for the City of Fort Worth.

The Texas Department of Health is expected to issue a warning about the lake in the next week. That alert could include a ban or a restriction on consumption of fish caught there, according to Brian Boerner, Fort Worth's director of environmental management.

PCB, or polychlorinated biphenyl, is a potential cancer-causing agent and an industrial byproduct.

Mr. Boerner told Fort Worth City Council members Tuesday that the Air Force tested fish at Lake Worth late last year as part of the requirements for Superfund cleanup of its site on Lake Worth. The Air Force then notified the Department of Health.

"The water is safe, the customers are safe,'' said Dale Fisseler, Fort Worth's water director.

PCB does not dissolve in the water but sinks to the bottom. Officials said PCB does not cause a problem on contact, only when consumed.

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-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), April 19, 2000