[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces Flagstaff Public Meeting June 17 to Discuss Fish, Mercury Issues in Area Lakes

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces Flagstaff Public Meeting  June 17 to
Discuss Fish, Mercury Issues in Area Lakes
 
PHOENIX (June 6, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that a Tuesday, June 17 public
meeting will be conducted in Flagstaff to discuss the proposed removal
of fish contaminated by mercury from Upper and Lower Lake Mary and three
other Flagstaff-area lakes.

The hearing will be held from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at ADEQ's Northern Regional
Office, located at 1801 W. Route 66, Suite 117. In addition to Lake
Mary, the other lakes with problems of mercury in fish tissue are
Soldiers, Soldiers Annex and Long lakes.

The hearing is part of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) under the Clean
Water Act analysis to determine the maximum amount of a pollutant that a
water body can assimilate and still meet surface water quality
standards.

The meeting will provide a project overview, report what has been
accomplished thus far by the TMDL investigation, discuss the data
collected, possible sources and quantities of pollutants, mercury and
sediment models and solicit comment from stakeholders.

"This is an issue of vital importance to fishermen and others who eat
fish from those lakes and are concerned about the environment," Director
Owens said. "We hope to see a good turnout at the Flagstaff meeting."

For questions and additional information, call (602)771-4468 or email
sutter.jason@azdeq.gov   

-30-

News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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