{"id":22098,"date":"2026-04-07T11:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/?page_id=22098"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:59:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:59:26","slug":"new-fish-consumption-advisories","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/public-health-toxicology\/fish-consumption-advisory\/new-fish-consumption-advisories\/","title":{"rendered":"New Fish Consumption Advisories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChickahominy River PFOS Fish Consumption Advisory\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Press Release: Fish Consumption Advisory for Chickahominy River<\/a><\/p>\n

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issues fish consumption advisories\u00a0<\/span>pursuant to\u00a7 32.1-248.01<\/a><\/span><\/span>, which directs VDH to develop policies that\u00a0<\/span>identify<\/span>\u00a0criteria and levels of concern for toxic substances used in\u00a0<\/span>determining<\/span>\u00a0whether to issue a fish consumption advisory. A fish consumption advisory is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>not<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a prohibition of eating fish, but a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>warning<\/span><\/span>\u00a0about the contaminants\u00a0<\/span>present<\/span>\u00a0in a fish species.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Perfluorooctane sulfonate (<\/span><\/span>PFOS)<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0is part of a larger group of chemicals called\u00a0<\/span><\/span>per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>These chemicals can repel oil, grease, and water, so they have been used for a variety of household and industrial uses<\/span><\/span>. Health effects related to PFOS exposure include increased cholesterol, lower antibody response to vaccines, changes in liver enzymes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia and decrease in birthweight.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>In addition to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the current PFOS fish consumption advisory for the Chickahominy River<\/span><\/span><\/a>, the black crappie fish species is being added.\u202f<\/span>PFAS<\/span>\u00a0fish consumption advisories are not unique to Virginia<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>M<\/span>ore than a dozen states have a PFAS fish consumption advisory that include PFOS.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on sample locations and results visit,\u00a0<\/span>Statewide PFAS Sampling Dashboard<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFlannagan Reservoir PCBs Fish Consumption Advisory\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Press Release: Fish Consumption Advisory for Flannagan Reservoir<\/a><\/p>\n

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issues fish consumption advisories\u00a0pursuant to\u00a7 32.1-248.01<\/strong><\/a>, which directs VDH to develop policy that\u00a0identifies\u00a0criteria and levels of concern for toxic substances used in\u00a0determining\u00a0to issue a fish consumption advisory. A fish consumption advisory is\u00a0not\u00a0a prohibition of eating fish, but a\u00a0warning\u00a0about the contaminants\u00a0present\u00a0in a fish species. Polychlorinated\u00a0Biphenyls (PCBs)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are a group of\u00a0man-made\u00a0chemicals consisting of 209 individual compounds of a similar chemical structure.\u00a0Eating fish\u00a0containing\u00a0PCBs\u00a0may increase your risk for\u00a0cancer.\u00a0The Flannagan Reservoir\u00a0is still a safe source of drinking\u00a0water,\u00a0since\u00a0public drinking water is treated to remove contaminates and rigorously tested.\u00a0Fish from the \u201cother side of the dam\u201d (downstream) have not been collected and tested for\u00a0PCBs,\u00a0but\u00a0may be collected in the future.<\/p>\n

For more information on sampling locations and results, visit\u00a0Fish Tissue Monitoring | Virginia DEQ<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPotomac Watershed\/ Occoquan River PFOS Fish Consumption Advisory\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Press Release: Fish Consumption Advisory for Occoquan Watershed<\/a><\/p>\n

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issues fish consumption advisories pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-248.01<\/a><\/span>, which directs VDH to develop policies that\u00a0identify\u00a0criteria and levels of concern for toxic substances used in\u00a0determining\u00a0whether to issue a fish consumption advisory. A fish consumption advisory is\u00a0<\/span>not<\/span><\/i>\u00a0a prohibition of eating fish, but a\u00a0<\/span>warning<\/span><\/i>\u00a0about the contaminants\u00a0present\u00a0in a fish species.\u00a0<\/span>Perfluorooctane\u00a0sulfonate (<\/span>PFOS)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is part of a larger group of chemicals called\u00a0<\/span>per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>These chemicals can repel oil, grease, and water, so they have been used for a variety of household and industrial uses<\/span>. Health effects related to PFOS exposure include increased cholesterol, lower antibody response to vaccines, changes in liver enzymes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia and decrease in birthweight.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the elevated levels of PFAS observed at the Fairfax Water Griffith plant in finished product water, fish tissue samples were collected in 2024. Two rounds of fish sampling from 2024-2025 showed elevated levels of PFOS. <\/span>The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)\u00a0has\u00a0identified\u00a021\u00a0possible sources\u00a0of PFAS upstream of the Occoquan Reservoir. Many sources are now testing\u00a0or have tested\u00a0their\u00a0wastewater\u00a0and\/or\u00a0stormwater, and DEQ will use the results to figure out which ones are contributing the most pollution and how to address it. Under recent state law, certain facilities may\u00a0be required\u00a0to reduce PFAS levels in their discharges to meet federal drinking water standards by around 2029. DEQ is focusing only on sources that could\u00a0impact\u00a0drinking water. DEQ does plan to conduct fish tissue monitoring, including\u202fPFAS,\u202fin the Occoquan watershed during a future rotation.\u00a0For more information on 2026 statewide sampling locations, visit\u00a0<\/span>2026 WQM Monitoring Plan<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on sample locations and results visit,\u00a0<\/span>Statewide PFAS Sampling Dashboard<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore Information About Virginia's Fish Consumption Advisories\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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