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Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:58

Pyramid State Park Added to

Sports Fish Consumption Advisory

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the 2012 consumption advisories for sport fish caught in Illinois waters.

This year, new advisories are being issued for the following lakes and rivers:
Carbondale City Reservoir, Jackson County
Greenville Old City Lake (Patriot’s Park Lake), Bond County
Henderson Creek (below the junction with Cedar Creek), Warren County
Lake of the Woods, Champaign County
Pyramid State Park, Perry County
Siloam Springs Lake, Adams County
Vermilion River, Champaign and Vermilion counties.
Additionally, several less-restrictive advisories have been issued this year.
The Illinois Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program screens fish samples from approximately 40 bodies of water each year for contamination from 14 banned pesticides, industrial chemicals and methylmercury. The program is a joint effort of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the departments of agriculture, natural resources and public health.
The fish are collected by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and tested by IEPA. IDPH issues an annual consumption advisory based on the IEPA test results. The advisory also can be found on the IDPH website at: www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/fishadvisory/index.htm.
“The advisories are not meant to discourage people from eating fish, but should be used as a guideline to help people decide the types of fish to eat, how often and how to prepare the fish to reduce possible contaminants,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Acting Director Dr. Arthur F. Kohrman. “Fish are a good source of high quality protein and other nutrients and are low in fat. However, contaminants may make some fish unsafe to eat except in limited quantities, particularly for women of childbearing age and young children.”
While there is no known immediate health hazard from eating contaminated fish from any body of water in Illinois, there are concerns about the effects of long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides and chemicals, such as chlordane, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and methylmercury. Methylmercury has been found to cause reproductive damage and have adverse effects on the central nervous system, including developmental delays.
The advisories are based primarily on protecting sensitive populations, including women of childbearing age, pregnant women, fetuses, nursing mothers and children younger than 15 years of age.
Changes and new 2012 advisories:
Carbondale City Reservoir, Jackson County – methylmercury
• Largemouth Bass larger than 15 inches – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for others
• Crappie larger than 12 inches – one meal per week for sensitive populations
Casey Fork Creek, Jefferson County - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• All Channel Catfish – one meal per week
Cedar Creek, Warren County - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• All Channel Catfish – one meal per month
Evergreen Lake, McLean County - methylmercury
• Crappie larger than 10 inches – one meal per week for sensitive populations
Greenville Old City Lake (Patriot’s Park Lake), Bond County – methylmercury
• All Largemouth Bass – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
Henderson Creek (below Cedar Creek), Warren County - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• All common Carp – one meal per month
Kickapoo Creek, Peoria County - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Common Carp larger than 19 inches – one meal per week
Kishwaukee River, Boone, McHenry and Winnebago counties – methylmercury
• All Smallmouth Bass – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
• All Rock Bass – one meal per week for sensitive populations
Lake Bracken, Knox County - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury
• Common Carp smaller than 23 inches – one meal per week
• Common Carp larger than 23 inches – one meal per month
• Largemouth Bass smaller than 17 inches – one meal per week
• Largemouth Bass larger than 17 inches – one meal per month
Lake Michigan, Cook and Lake counties - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Lake Trout less than 25 inches – one meal per month
• Lake Trout 25-29 inches – six meals per year
• Lake Trout larger than 29 inches should not be eaten
Lake of the Woods, Champaign County – polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury
• All common Carp – one meal per month
• Largemouth Bass larger than 15 inches – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
Pyramid State Park, Perry County – methylmercury
• All Largemouth Bass – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
Siloam Springs Lake State Park, Tazewell County – methylmercury
• All Largemouth Bass – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
Skillet Fork Creek, Jefferson, Marion and Wayne counties – methylmercury
• Common Carp larger than 21 inches – one meal per month for sensitive populations; one meal per week for all others
Vermilion River¸Vermilion and Champaign counties - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Common Carp larger than 26 inches – one meal per week
• Channel Catfish larger than 16 inches – one meal per week
The statewide mercury advisory cautions sensitive populations to eat no more than one meal per week of predator fish, which pose a greater risk because they feed on other fish and accumulate higher amounts of methylmercury. Predator fish include all species of Black Bass, (Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted) Striped Bass, White Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Flathead Catfish, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Saugeye, Sauger and Walleye.
Women beyond childbearing age and males older than 15 years of age may eat unlimited quantities of predator fish, with the exception of the fish caught from the 33 bodies of water that are on the special mercury advisory.
These include:
• Arrowhead Lake
• Big Muddy River and Tributaries
• Campus Lake
• Carbondale City Reservoir
• Cedar Lake
• Devil’s Kitchen Lake
• DuPage River (Headwaters to Route 6)
• Evergreen Lake
• Greenville Old City Lake (Patriot’s Park Lake)
• Heidecke Lake
• Kinkaid Lake
• Kishwaukee River
• Lake Bracken
• Little Grassy Lake
• Lake in the Hills
• Lake Jacksonville
• Lake of the Woods
• Lake Renwick East
• Lake Sara
• Little Wabash River and tributaries
• Mt. Olive New City Lake
• Marquette Park Lagoon
• Midlothian Reservoir
• Monee Reservoir
• Nippersink Creek
• Ohio River
• Pana Lake
• Pyramid State Park
• Rock River (Rockford to Milan Steel Dam)
• Sam Parr Lake
• Siloam Springs Lake
• Skillet Fork Creek
• Wabash River

For fish that may contain PCBs and chlordane, the advisory provides consumption advice in five categories – unlimited consumption, no more than one meal per week, no more than one meal per month, no more than six meals per year and do not eat.
Anglers who vary the type and source of sport fish consumed – opting for younger, smaller fish, and consuming leaner species such as Walleye and Panfish over fatty species such as the common Carp and Catfish, and who prepare and cook fish in ways that reduce the amount of contaminants – can limit their exposure to harmful substances that may be found in fish.
Several ways to reduce any PCBs and chlordane present in edible portions of fish include:
•    Remove the skin from the fillet and cut away any fatty tissue from the belly and dorsal areas before cooking.
•    Broil, bake or grill in a way that allows fat to drip away.
•    Discard fat drippings or broth from broiled or poached fish. Do not use in other dishes.
These precautions will not reduce the amount of methylmercury in fish. Mercury is found throughout a fish’s muscle tissue (the edible part of the fish) rather than in the fat and skin. Therefore, the only way to reduce mercury intake is to reduce the amount of contaminated fish eaten.

Thursday, 15 March 2012 21:27

Bishop Not Re-appointed

as Perry County Engineer

After discussion in executive session on Thursday, the Perry County board of commissioners decided not to re-appoint the county engineer, Doug Bishop. The council will be advertising in local newspapers to post the job opening. Bishop has been the Perry County Engineer since 2000, and is currently paid $94,800 per year.

At the beginning of the meeting, the board passed an ordinance adopting emergency management agency policies and procedures. The ordinance would govern how the department operates. The ordinance went into affect last Thursday.

Treasurer Bill Taylor spoke to the board about a resolution to authorize the issuance of the tax anticipation warrant for the general corporate fund. The last time the county borrowed money was mid-April last year. Now, the county will borrow $150,000 from First National Bank in Pinckneyville at an interest rate of 2.75%. First National Bank offered the lowest interest rate. “With the landfill caught up, it has prolonged us having to do this,” stated Commissioner Sam Robb.

The board approved a special zoning permit for Pitchford Elevator of Du Quoin, located on Old Du Quoin Road. They requested to install a 30,000 gallon anhydrous tank on their property. The above ground tank is in an isolated location and they have adhered to all of the requirements.

Raffle licenses were approved for the Du Quoin PTO and the Wyatt D. Eisenhauer Memorial Fund. Both are re-peat license holders.

Emergency Management Coordinator, David Searby gave the board an update on damage from the February 29 storm. He stated that Perry County was not included in FEMA assistance.

Searby also discussed the progress on a credit card for the EMA department. He has been working with SIU Credit Union, and he said that the card would have a 10,000 credit limit. Searby and Brandee Horn would have the authority to sign for purchases on said card.

In light of the board’s recent donation to the Perry County Jail Museum toward termite abatement, Commissioner Robb stated that the museum has owed the county money every month as part of their lease. Although it has not been paid in several years, Robb requested that the subject be placed on the agenda for the next meeting so the decision can be made to enforce the payment, or let it go.

Supervisor of assessments, John Batteau updated the commissioners on the board of revenue. He stated that taxes are on the same schedule as last year and hearings will be conducted, beginning on April 3.

The next regularly scheduled Perry County board of commissioners meeting will be on April 5.