Hartwell?? can't keep fishing it when..

Well after many years of studies on the PCB problems it was starting to sound like the lake had a chance to be a little cleaner since the 70's. They had decided if they take down the dams up steam so that the dirt wound wash down into the lake and the dirt would put a cover over the layer of PCB. This week the study said "NOT'' to eat any fish from the 12 Mile Creek area and doesn't advise you not to eat any fish from the Seneca arm of the lake and not to eat any bass, striper's or hybrid from any part of the lake....
Last week Anderson had a sewer spill that dumped over 100,000 gal of raw sewer into the 6&20 leg of the lake. They said not to worry about the spill, it will mix into all the water (the PCB filled water) and be alright.
Yesterday Pendleton had a big sewer spill that dumps into Hartwell! They say just don't swim in the area for a couple of weeks, are you kidding me! nonono

They have been giving watered down reports about the lake water for the last 35 years.
Sounds to me they need to fill in Hartwell and start over.

Just my .02 worth....:dono

I'm just glad I have options so I dont HAVE to fish Hartwell Lake. IMO, those same PCB's are throughout the Savannah River chain though, theyre just not as emphasized like they are on Hartwell. As the saying goes...sh@t runs downhill.:rolleyes:

Sh@t does round down hill and thanks to the problems on Hartwell all the Savannah chain lakes are effected. It really is a shame to hear about all these sewer spills and such. That lake is a great fishery, but I won't spend my money to take a trip up there to catch fish I can't take home and enjoy as a meal. I'm thankful I too have other options to fish...

The WHOLE reason I so love crappie fishing is that I can eat some fish that I catch. Hartwell sounds like it's becoming a sewer for all the development around it. I release a lot of fish now (way more than I used to), but I don't like the fact that I wouldn't want to keep a few to eat when I wanted to. I'm very fortunate to have options so close by.

man i hate to hear that!!!!its a nice fishery but it does in fact have some issues!!!bad thing is it feeds Lake Russell and Lake Russell feeds Clarks Hill thats the sad part about all of it!!!!

If the truth were to come out, all lakes would probably be listed as contaminated. The problem with the lakes are that most are built in or near major metropolitan areas for either power, drinking water, or for industry. Fishing and recreation is an afterthought. Clarkhill and Santee Cooper are both at the end of river systems that feed them. They both bear the brunt of low water discharge and where most contaminants settle. Hartwell may be the one making the news but you can bet your bottom dollar that others down stream are in just as bad of shape or possibly worse off. Even with that said, eating fileted fish is not all that bad for you as the waste materials that cause the contamination usually settles in the skin or organs of the fish. The food we buy from the grocery stores are just as bad off, how many recalls have made the news as of late?

. I fillet all my fish but I do like to start with a eatable fish LOL.
It is so aggravating that something is always getting dumped into the lake and I agree it runs down hill!!!:):)