Study Shows High Mercury Contamination In State's Lakes

California water officials released new information Tuesday concerning mercury contamination from an ongoing study of the state's 9,000 lakes and reservoirs that reveals one in four tested sites have tainted fish.

The presence of mercury is not going to surprise many water officials in the Bay Area. However, they hope this ongoing study will make people aware of the problem statewide.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District has been testing reservoirs -- including Stevens Creek -- since 2000. The district anticipated finding mercury because of the gold mining and industrial pollution in the Bay Area's past.

Tuesday, the California Water Resources Board reported its ongoing statewide study shows 26% of lakes and reservoirs have fish with high levels of mercury.

At the state capitol, officials urged people, especially children and pregnant women, to limit consumption of fish from contaminated lakes.

"Approach with caution, but not with alarm, when it comes to dealing with freshwater fish taken out of lakes," said Dave Clegern of the Water Resources Control Board.

A partial list of Bay Area sites indicated many have a mercury level higher than the acceptable 44 parts per million. But while the state screens hot spots, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has experimented with treatments to reduce mercury in the stagnating waters.

"Stimulating that circulation using just solar power, we've seen some real improvements in water quality," explained SCVWD Civil Engineer Dave Drury. "The other thing we're experimenting with is injecting oxygen down into the lower part of the reservoir."

To find out more about the ongoing state study and its recommendations on fish consumption, click here.