TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisories
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced a precautionary fish consumption for a river, lakes and reservoirs in Tennessee.
Select the tabs below for each advisory.
TDEC Issues Fish Consumption Advisory for Beaver Creek in Sullivan County
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today issued a fish consumption advisory for carp due to PCB chemicals in Beaver Creek in Sullivan County.
TDEC advises individuals not to consume carp caught in the creek from the Tennessee/Virginia state line to the Boone Reservoir (South Fork Holston River). Beaver Creek is a tributary to the Boone Reservoir near Blountville. Boone Reservoir currently has a precautionary carp and catfish consumption advisory for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children for PCBs.
There is currently a precautionary catfish consumption for advisory for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children due to PCBs in the Fort Patrick Henry Resevoir in Sullivan County, also on the South Fork Holston River.
The Tennessee advisory follows a similar fish consumption advisory due to PCBs issued for Beaver Creek by the Virginia Department of Health. Data from two Virginia monitoring sites near the Tennessee border show PCBs in carp 0.985 milligrams per kilogram of weight. This is above TDEC’s trigger point for a do not consume advisory of 0.94 mg/kg. The advisory is consistent with TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
TDEC Extends Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisory for Duck River in Humphreys County
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced an extension of a precautionary fish consumption advisory for black bass due to mercury in the Duck River in Humphreys County.
TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the black bass and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
In 2025, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), in cooperation with TDEC, collected fish for tissue analysis on Duck River at river mile 11.5. The targeted fish species were black bass (largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass). Fish were analyzed for mercury by TDH through a contract with TDEC.
The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Black bass were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average of 0.38 mg/kg. The advisory for the entirety of the lake is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
The previous precautionary advisory ran from the Buffalo River (river mile 15.8) to Interstate 40 (river mile 31.8). Based on the new data, the advisory in the Duck River is extended from Cold Branch (river mile 11.5) to Interstate 40.
TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisory for Duck River in Humphreys and Hickman Counties
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today issued a precautionary consumption advisory for catfish due to PCB chemicals in the Duck River in Humphreys and Hickman counties.
TDEC advises children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers to avoid eating catfish caught in this section of the Duck River and all others limit consumption to one meal per month. The precautionary consumption advisory applies to the area from Cold Branch (river mile 11.5) to Interstate 40 (river mile 31.8). Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
Fish tissue results collected by the Tennessee Valley Authority from 2015-2023 document channel catfish exceed Tennessee’s trigger point for PCBs.
The PCBs trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.047 mg/kg. Catfish were above the trigger point with a combined weighted PCBs average 0.089 mg/kg. The advisory for this section of the Duck River is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
The Duck River is a tributary to the Tennessee River located in middle Tennessee and currently has a precautionary fish advisory for black bass due to mercury from the Buffalo River to Interstate 40.
TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisory for French Broad River in Sevier and Knox Counties
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today issued a precautionary consumption advisory for black bass due to mercury in the French Broad River in Sevier and Knox counties.
TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the largemouth bass and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
From 1998- 2025, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and EPA, in cooperation with TDEC, collected fish for tissue analysis on French Broad River. The targeted fish species were black bass (largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass). Fish were analyzed for mercury by TDH through a contract with TDEC and at the EPA laboratory. French Broad River is a tributary to the Tennessee River near Sevierville, Tenn.
The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Black bass were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average 0.42 mg/kg. The advisory for this section of the Duck River is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
The new precautionary advisory extends from confluence with Tennessee River (Fort Loudon reservoir) upstream to Douglas dam.
TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisory for Mitchell Branch Stream in Roane County
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today issued a precautionary consumption advisory for all fish species due to mercury and PCB chemicals in the Mitchell Branch Stream in Roane County.
TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the any fish and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
In 2023, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) collected fish tissue data in Mitchell Branch. Targeted fish species were redbreast sunfish. Fish were analyzed for mercury and PCBs. Mitchell Branch is a tributary to the Poplar Creek and located within Manhattan Project National Historical Park near Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Redbreast sunfish were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average 0.49 mg/kg. The PCBs trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.047 mg/kg. Redbreast sunfish were above the trigger point with a combined weight PCBs average 0.406 mg/kg. The advisory for the entirety of the stream is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisory for Standing Stone Lake in Overton County
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today issued a precautionary consumption advisory for largemouth bass due to mercury in Standing Stone Lake, also known as Kelly Lake, Overton County.
TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the largemouth bass and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
In 2025, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), in cooperation with TDEC, collected fish for tissue analysis on Standing Stone Lake. The targeted fish species were largemouth bass. Fish were analyzed for mercury by the Tennessee Department of Health through a contract with TDEC. Standing Stone Lake is an impoundment on Mill Creek within Standing Stone State Park near Livingston and Celina, Tenn.
The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Largemouth bass were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average of 0.41 mg/kg. The advisory for the entirety of the lake is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
“Unlike ‘Do Not Consume’ advisories that warn the general population to avoid eating fish from a particular body of water altogether, precautionary fish consumption advisories are specifically directed to sensitive populations. They include children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who may eat fish frequently from the same body of water,” said Ronné Adkins, deputy commissioner for Environment at TDEC. “These advisories help the community make informed decisions about whether or not to consume the fish.”
TDEC will post warning signs at primary public access points and will work with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to communicate this information to the public.
About Fish Consumption Advisories
The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act identifies the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as having the authority and responsibility to issue advisories for either water contact hazards like pathogens or excessive health risks due to the accumulation of contaminants in fish or shellfish. Tennessee’s General Water Quality Criteria provide additional guidance regarding the conditions under which advisories may be warranted.
Where new advisories have been issued, TDEC will immediately begin the process of notifying the public at primary public access points. TDEC works in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to communicate information about fishing advisories.