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Title

Focus on: Mercury and PFAS Trends in Freshwater Fish – Fall 2025

 
Publication number Date Published
25-03-012July 2025
VIEW NOW Focus on: Mercury and PFAS Trends in Freshwater Fish – Fall 2025 (Number of pages: 1) (Publication Size: 185KB)




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Author(s) Foster, K., and C. Mathieu
Description Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) scientists collect fish to analyze for the presence of mercury and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in freshwaters across the state. We return to each set of water bodies every five years to see how contaminant levels have changed. This information also provides the Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH) with data for fish consumption advisories. This fall, we’ll be collecting fish from:

• Lacamas Lake (Clark County)
• Liberty Lake (Spokane County)
• Loon Lake (Stevens County)
• Potholes Reservoir (Grant County)
• Silver Lake (Cowlitz County)
• Lake Spokane (Spokane County)
• Yakima River (RM 19, Benton County)

Ecology last sampled mercury in fish collected from these water bodies in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. This will be the first year of testing for PFAS at the sites. We’re adding Lacamas Lake this year, which was previously sampled for mercury in 2002.
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Keywords PFAS, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), persistent, bioaccumulative toxics, PBT, fish tissue, mercury, long-term monitoring, toxics studies, Hg
WEB PAGE Mercury in fish tissue
WATERSHED Water Resource Inventory Areas
(WRIA 26,WRIA 28,WRIA 59,WRIA 57,WRIA 54,WRIA 37)