Lake Norman
Affected River Basins
Catawba
Affected Counties
Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln and Mecklenburg
Fish to avoid:
Generally, choose these fish from the central part of the state:
Pollutants
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Mercury
Advisory
Date issued: April 9, 2013
Levels of PCBs have been found in striped bass in Lake Norman that exceed the state action level for PCBs of 0.05 mg/kg. Because previous studies have shown that largemouth bass in all waters of North Carolina have elevated levels of mercury, this advisory for Lake Norman includes largemouth bass as well as striped bass. Pregnant women, nursing women, women who may become pregnant, and children under age 15 should not eat any striped bass or largemouth bass from Lake Norman. To guard against mercury exposure and potential PCB exposure, other people should not eat more than two meals a month of largemouth bass and one meal a week of striped bass from Lake Norman. A meal of fish is considered approximately six (6) ounces of uncooked fish.