By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer

One creek and two rivers that run through Greater Cincinnati have fish on a do-not-eat list because they are contaminated with high levels of pollutants, according a state advisory issued Thursday.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said people should not eat any fish from Dick's Creek, between Middletown and the Great Miami River. People also should not eat sucker fish caught from the Great Miami River and should not consume channel catfish longer than 17 inches or carp from the Ohio River.

Statewide, there are 12 waterways with fish on the do-not-eat list.

The state warns consumers not to eat more than one fish meal a week of any kind from any Ohio waterway because of mercury - a pollutant that comes primarily from coal-fired power plants and damages the brains of children and unborn babies. But many species of fish are more susceptible to mercury and other pollutants, such as pesticides and PCBs, and can pose even greater threats to human health when eaten regularly.

The advisory includes further restrictions.

Eight waterways that run through Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren counties have various warnings regarding fish consumption, according to the report. Among the most serious:

• Great Miami River: No species of suckers should be eaten, and carp should only be eaten every two months. Sauger, white bass and flathead catfish should only be eaten once per month.

• Little Miami River: Sauger should only be eaten once per month because of mercury.

• Whitewater River: Freshwater drum, sauger and white bass should only be consumed once per month because of a combination of mercury and PCBs.

'Red flag of danger'

Environmentalists say the number of waterways and the number of fish that pose a threat to people are a harsh indictment of environmental agencies.

"The bigger picture here is, fish consumption advisories are a red flag of danger that something is terribly wrong with Ohio's environment and, more particularly, with the enforcement by state and (federal) officials of clean water and clean air health protections," said Glen Brand, Midwest representative for the Sierra Club.

But OEPA officials said the annual advisory program was created in 1997 to protect the public.

Mylynda Shaskus, an environmental specialist with the agency who reviews test results on fish samples and issues the warnings, said she feels satisfied that enough fish are being tested statewide to provide accurate information to the public.

"We could always do more testing, but I feel satisfied that public health is being protected with the program we have in place," Shaskus said.

Hundreds sampled

The agency's program has an annual budget of $500,000 and tests between 400 and 500 fish samples every year.

The fish-testing lab looks for a variety of pollutants in fish from all over the state. Field biologists catch fish in waterways on a rotating basis. It takes about a decade to test all of Ohio's rivers, lakes and streams. Waterways with highly contaminated fish are tested more frequently.

At the lab, fish are separated by species and waterway, then mixed together to make a sample that is then tested.

""We're trying to do what's reasonable,'' said Carl Oesch, a lab supervisor. "It's a question of how much testing are you willing to pay for.''

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com