By Amber Hanneken HUGO — Representatives from the Department of
Environmental Quality and the Department of Wildlife spoke to a
small group Thursday evening at the Choctaw County Library about
the recent mercury advisory for Hugo Lake and 15 other lakes in
Oklahoma. Jay Wright and Erin Hatfield from DEQ presented a
slideshow that explained the study and what the mercury advisory
means for lake goers. DEQ has been analyzing fish and issuing
advisories since 1978. The recent advisory was issued after an
extensive study of 50 lakes in Oklahoma. Between fall 2007 and
summer 2009, the department collected a total of 536 largemouth
bass from various sites of each lake and tested them for
mercury, Wright said. Mercury levels ranged from low to high,
all lakes with fish that tested above .5 mg/kg of mercury became
a priority, he said. The Department of Wildlife and DEQ then
returned to those 17 lakes and collected a total of 871 samples;
according to Wright, 20 species were represented. The result was
the advisory is