# Is it safe to eat Acworth lake fish?



## Killdee (Mar 12, 2017)

Is it safe to eat fish from Acworth lake now? I know years ago there was a high levels of toxins in the water and news people said not to eat them. Any new news re this?


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## fishingchamp (Mar 12, 2017)

Oh yeah man thats a resivor for the city of acworth people bathe and drink from that lake every day. Eat on brother!!!


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Mar 12, 2017)

Killdee said:


> Is it safe to eat fish from Acworth lake now? I know years ago there was a high levels of toxins in the water and news people said not to eat them. Any new news re this?



there is a restriction on Largemouth Bass greater than 16"....one meal per week..

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/site...ldlife/fishing/pdfs/regulations/17GAFW_LR.pdf


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## Killdee (Mar 12, 2017)

Well what caused the concerns in the first place, was it from a spill or something?


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## Grub Master (Mar 12, 2017)

I only eat the shrimp and flounder.


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## Killdee (Mar 13, 2017)

Grub Master said:


> I only eat the shrimp and flounder.



I ain't asking about Henry's!!!!!

I figured since its electric only, it would be a good place to catch crappie and not get swamped in my 14' Jon boat but I like to eat crappie and bream and don't want to eat if they are still warning not to.

Fishing champ, I didn't know Acworth pulled drinking water from Acworth lake?


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## Jeff Raines (Mar 13, 2017)

fishingchamp said:


> Oh yeah man thats a resivor for the city of acworth people bathe and drink from that lake every day. Eat on brother!!!



The intake is located on Allatoona between the blockhouse and railroad tressle.

Tony,I think the toxins came from a combination of old leaky sewer lines in the area and the concentration of resident ducks that people kept feeding.


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## Killdee (Mar 13, 2017)

Ok I didn't remember an intake on Acworth. So I guess the sewer issue was resolved? I can deal with a little duck poop.


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## Danny Leigh (Mar 13, 2017)

Years ago I kept some crappie from Acworth and probably half had worm looking parasites in the meat. Looked like little spaghetti. The biologist said that thoroughly cooked meat would be fine, but it's hard to get around the thought of seeing those. I haven't noticed any in the ones caught from Allatoona.


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## Fisherking (Mar 13, 2017)

My memory is terrible but I thought I read somewhere that there was a water treatment facility close to the lake that caused problems.  I have been there a few times and haven't seen it and may be way off on this.


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## jcal1985 (Mar 13, 2017)

This is an interesting thread. I'm always curious as to what lakes and streams people decide to eat from it. I know pretty much every lake has someone that will eat from. I recently saw a fella loading up a cooler at the lake in Piedmont Park.....


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## fishingchamp (Mar 13, 2017)

jcal1985 said:


> This is an interesting thread. I'm always curious as to what lakes and streams people decide to eat from it. I know pretty much every lake has someone that will eat from. I recently saw a fella loading up a cooler at the lake in Piedmont Park.....


No one could pay me to eat from that lake lol no way.


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## fishingchamp (Mar 13, 2017)

Danny Leigh said:


> Years ago I kept some crappie from Acworth and probably half had worm looking parasites in the meat. Looked like little spaghetti. The biologist said that thoroughly cooked meat would be fine, but it's hard to get around the thought of seeing those. I haven't noticed any in the ones caught from Allatoona.



You know I  have caught tons of crappie and I see this every blue moon. I caught a few from weiss lake and they were loaded with the parasites. And a few from my honey hole. But I asked a crappie guide about it and he said those are worms that can get into any fish. But if you think about it crappie eat fish so your gonna find it in crappie more than any other fish. Chicken have parasites we dont see including beef, pork, lamb, turkey, deer, etc. Think about it?


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## Jeff Raines (Mar 13, 2017)

Fisherking said:


> My memory is terrible but I thought I read somewhere that there was a water treatment facility close to the lake that caused problems.  I have been there a few times and haven't seen it and may be way off on this.



You admit to having a terrible memory,and you "thought" you read something somewhere????


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## paulito (Mar 14, 2017)

Most of the issues with eating fish out of a lake or pond is people's "perception". Lake Clara Meer, the one in Piedmont Park is perfectly safe to eat fish out of, keeping to posted state guidelines. The City had fish sent off to Auburn and another place for testing. Admittedly, the results surprised me as well but the fish are safe. 

Keep in mind, ponds, lakes, stream and rivers are living breathing systems. Things can and do change.


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## Fisherking (Mar 14, 2017)

Jeff Raines said:


> You admit to having a terrible memory,and you "thought" you read something somewhere????




That is correct.  A small yellow flag to those who care.  They can look it up.  

I don't care and will return to Lake Acworth


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## little rascal (Mar 14, 2017)

*Safe to eat*

it's a lot safer to eat fish from Acworth than driving on 92 to get there. 
Seriously, you would have to consume a lot of fish cooked improperly for years, it is still more beneficial than unsafe. The grocery stores and car mufflers will kill you faster than fish will.


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## jcal1985 (Mar 14, 2017)

paulito said:


> Most of the issues with eating fish out of a lake or pond is people's "perception". Lake Clara Meer, the one in Piedmont Park is perfectly safe to eat fish out of, keeping to posted state guidelines. The City had fish sent off to Auburn and another place for testing. Admittedly, the results surprised me as well but the fish are safe.
> 
> Keep in mind, ponds, lakes, stream and rivers are living breathing systems. Things can and do change.



I've read that about Clara Meer. You're probably right about "perception".


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## Tmpr111 (Mar 14, 2017)

Some might think the sewage station and the fertilizer runoff from the Cobblestone golf course is quite good for the ole'gizzard and soul!  

Honestly I do not eat them, but can it be any worse than the Shrimp Lo Mien we may eat elsewhere or the half the fish purchased or eaten from a restaurant?  I would think not........


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## The mtn man (Mar 14, 2017)

I thought the fish advisories were due to mercury levels? That could be the case in the cleanest mountain lakes. Any one that eats talopia shouldn't find an issue eating a fish that came out of a sewer.


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## NGPhoenix (Mar 14, 2017)

I work in Acworth.  I caught a big mess of Crappie last Spring that I cleaned and ate.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the lake now.  It is routinely tested, just like other lakes.  Years ago, it was shut down.  Back around 1996, 97, a new city manager was hired.  One of his first tasks was to get the lake opened back up.  That was done and for the past 20 years it's been fine.


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## NGPhoenix (Mar 14, 2017)

....one other thing....if you go, go Monday through Friday.  First of all it's free parking on those days.  If you aren't a resident, it's $10 to park on weekends.  2nd....I get to go free, and there's no way I'd get near the place on the weekends, especially anytime the weather is anywhere near nice.  It's crowded.  You won't be run out of the water by waking bass boats, but you will find a lot of kayakers and most to the best fishing spots taken.


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## Stroker (Mar 14, 2017)

The mtn man said:


> I thought the fish advisories were due to mercury levels? That could be the case in the cleanest mountain lakes. Any one that eats talopia shouldn't find an issue eating a fish that came out of a sewer.



Agree 100%. It makes my stomach churn just watching someone else eating Talopia.


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## Killdee (Mar 14, 2017)

Well that sounds better, I thought it was mercury but didn't really know for sure. I don't eat Talopia for sure. Another question Where does mercury contamination come in the first place?Thanks for the heads up on the parking ng phoenix, I went a couple weeks ago through the week but didn't know it was a pay to park on weekends.


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## The mtn man (Mar 14, 2017)

Acid rain is one source. I don't believe fish are anybsafer to eat in our clear mtn lakes than lakes in more populated areas, i say fish are fish, no matter what lake, I'd eat them from just about any lake in georgia.


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Mar 14, 2017)

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/site...ldlife/fishing/pdfs/regulations/17GAFW_LR.pdf

starts on page 34.....

WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?
Georgia DNR samples fish from water bodies
each year to test for contaminants such as PCBs,
chlordane, and mercury. Many of the fish tested
have few or no contaminants and are safe to eat.
Waters where fish have been tested and
found to be clean are listed to the right.
Fish from waters listed in the tables had some
level of contaminants so you should restrict
the amount of fish you eat from these waters.
Recommendations are made to limit how often
you eat a meal of fish from these sources to
either once per week or month. A meal of fish is
about 4 to 8 ounces. These guidelines are based
on eating fish from a listed area for at least 30
years. That is because it would take months or
years of regularly eating contaminated food
to accumulate levels in your body that would  that would
affect your health.


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## suuntov (Mar 22, 2017)

Fukushima sushi!! Yum


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## Gunsmoke (Apr 9, 2017)

I never eat them from allatoona
because of the toxins in them any lake that says limit your meals of fish i will not eat.from that lake


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## Bowyer29 (Apr 10, 2017)

Gunsmoke said:


> I never eat them from allatoona
> because of the toxins in them any lake that says limit your meals of fish i will not eat.from that lake



You don't eat much fish then.

No limit on crappie, brim or small cats.


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 10, 2017)

Gunsmoke said:


> I never eat them from allatoona
> because of the toxins in them any lake that says limit your meals of fish i will not eat.from that lake



That's pretty much every body of water on earth now. Mercury is airborne.


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## Eisbrecht (Oct 9, 2018)

I would not eat anything from acworth lake there is a large sewage treatment plant a mile or so away. At the acworth football fields in the evenings it smells like @#&$


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## RamblinWreck (Oct 9, 2018)

Mercury may be airborne, from coal-fired power plants, but most of the mercury in the Etowah system comes from the gold-mining, where tons of mercury was used to extract gold from ore. A friend of mine has panned and prospected up and down that river, sometimes with "iffy" permissions, and has found places in the woods near the river where there are literally pools of mercury on the ground. I personally have not seen this, but others have also reported this. I will not eat a fish from the Etowah.


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## stratos201 (Oct 9, 2018)

Wasn't sure what the deal was with the concern regarding Tilapia as I normally eat Salmon. But check out the BELOW!!!!! 


*Tilapia Are Often Fed Animal Feces*
One report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that it is common for fish farmed in China to be fed feces from livestock animals (11).
Although this practice drives down production costs, bacteria like _Salmonella_ found in animal waste can contaminate the water and increase the risk of foodborne diseases.
Using animal feces as feed wasn’t directly associated with any specific fish in the report. However, around 73% of the tilapia imported to the United States comes from China, where this practice is particularly common (12).


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## The mtn man (Oct 10, 2018)

stratos201 said:


> Wasn't sure what the deal was with the concern regarding Tilapia as I normally eat Salmon. But check out the BELOW!!!!!
> 
> 
> *Tilapia Are Often Fed Animal Feces*
> ...


This has been common knowledge for years I thought, I would never eat farm raised talopia, or shrimp for that matter, the only farm raised fish I will eat are either catfish from the south east US. Or trout, and that is very rare when I'm at a restaurant.


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## JackSprat (Oct 10, 2018)

The mtn man said:


> This has been common knowledge for years I thought, I would never eat farm raised talopia, or shrimp for that matter, the only farm raised fish I will eat are either catfish from the south east US. Or trout, and that is very rare when I'm at a restaurant.



I never eat tilapia.  I always ask what the fish is in any restaurant what fish they are serving.

Much of if is literally raised in the sewerrs/sewage canals of Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam.  It is transhipped through China to disguise the origin.  This is not tinfoil hat conspiracy, but verifiable facts.

You have to remember that seafood is not USDA inspected.

Cheap restaurants save 10 cents a bit serving fish raised on human waste.  I refuse to eat any  of it.


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