Pennsylvania agencies are warning anglers not to eat fish caught from two streams after testing revealed elevated levels of PFOS, a persistent “forever chemical” known to accumulate in fish tissue.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced a “Do Not Eat” fish consumption advisory for all species caught in portions of Briar Creek and throughout the entire Middle Spring Creek watershed after fish tissue samples exceeded the state’s health advisory level for PFOS. The advisory was issued Feb. 27, 2026.
Why the Advisory Happened
PFOS, short for perfluorooctane sulfonate, belongs to a broader class of chemicals known as PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they break down extremely slowly in the environment. Many industrial and consumer products use these compounds, which can build up in soil, water, and fish over time.
Pennsylvania health officials set the state’s “Do Not Eat” threshold for PFOS in fish at 0.04 parts per million (40 nanograms per gram). Fish sampled from the Briar Creek and Middle Spring Creek watersheds exceeded that level, prompting the advisory.
What It Means
The warning covers Briar Creek, West Branch Briar Creek and portions of East Branch Briar Creek downstream of Briar Creek Reservoir. The advisory does not apply to the reservoir itself or to sections of East Branch Briar Creek located upstream of the reservoir. In the case of Middle Spring Creek, the advisory applies to the entire watershed.
Fishing itself remains legal in the affected waters. However, advisories strongly warn anglers not to eat any fish caught there, including wild fish or stocked trout.
Because of contamination concerns, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has also removed the affected streams from the state’s trout stocking program until further notice. Trout that were scheduled to be stocked there will instead be distributed to nearby waters so anglers in the region still have access to stocked fish opportunities.
The advisory applies only to fish from the affected streams. Trout stocked in other Pennsylvania waters remain safe to harvest under the state’s standard fish consumption guidance, which generally recommends eating no more than one meal — about a half-pound — of recreationally caught fish per week unless stricter advisories are in place.
An Ongoing Investigation
State officials are also working to identify the source of the contamination. Investigations are currently underway through Pennsylvania’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act program, which allows the state to investigate environmental contamination and fund cleanup efforts.
As part of those efforts, officials have already installed 30 point-of-entry water filtration systems for homes in the Briar Creek watershed. They plan to install another 24 systems in the Middle Spring Creek watershed to ensure safe drinking water for residents.
PFAS contamination is an increasing concern as more states expand fish tissue testing programs. Because these chemicals persist in aquatic systems and accumulate in fish over time, health agencies often issue consumption advisories even when fishing can continue.
