EPA: Toxin-leaking siphon, fish to be removed from Donna lake

Oct. 03--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed its plan to remove harmful, cancer-causing toxins found in the Donna lake, the agency announced Monday.

Fish in the lake, operated by Donna Irrigation District Hidalgo County No. 1, contain high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs -- a man-made chemical no longer produced in the U.S. A 1,600-foot siphon at the canal and reservoir system has likely been leaking PCBs. It will be replaced as part of the plan.

The siphon, longer than the length of five football fields, was built in 1926, underneath the Arroyo Colorado River. It allows water to flow from a canal into the reservoir at the site known as Donna lake.

The EPA plans to dispose of the siphon sediment at "off-site facility," according to an agency news release.

Despite signs warning residents not to fish, the EPA was notified, as recent as 2013, that a vendor might be selling toxic fish to local restaurants. Residents also ignored warnings and continued to fish at the canal and reservoir system located south of Donna.

The fish, which have found to contain elevated levels of the harmful chemical from the siphon, will also be removed from the lake.

"These actions will address risks to people's health associated with eating fish from the reservoir and canal system," an EPA representative said in a news release.

EPA representatives were not immediately available for comment on when the planned remedies will be completed.

The record of decision, an official document detailing the clean-up plans, has not yet been publicly released.

The EPA looked at potential fixes, including a $19.4 million plan known as Alternative 6 intended to "fully address" the health hazard by replacing the siphon and removing infected fish.

The EPA designated the 400-acre canal and reservoir system a "Superfund site," one of the most polluted areas in the U.S. It was placed on the EPA's priority list in 2008.

cgarcia@themonitor.com

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