OEHHA opens public poll to prioritize 2026 site‑specific fish advisories; Mammoth Creek advisory expected in November

SACRAMENTO (virtual) — The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) asked members of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council safety work group to rank a short list of site‑specific fish and shellfish advisories being considered for 2026 and opened a Slido poll to collect input for one week.

Wes, representing OEHHA, told the group Oct. 29 that a Mammoth Creek advisory is expected to publish in November and that OEHHA will use its prioritization protocol to select candidate water bodies for advisories. The poll allows work group participants and their colleagues to rank up to five water bodies; results will be shared with OEHHA to inform the agency’s annual priorities.

PFAS and timing questions
Participants asked whether regions with limited existing data should be discouraged from selection; Wes and Anna Holder said the poll is a short list based on current data availability and that respondents should flag other bodies using the poll’s "other" option or add notes in chat. The group also discussed the timing of OEHHA’s development of PFAS advisory tissue levels; Wes said he expects PFAS ATLs to be available “probably by next year or mid to late next year,” but added the timeline is uncertain because ATLs undergo peer review and revision.

How to participate
OEHHA opened the poll to the work group and said it would remain open for one week; respondents can also provide written suggestions in the chat or follow up with OEHHA or Monitoring Council contacts. Work group members requested region‑level lists of lakes with sufficient data to inform prioritization; OEHHA offered to follow up offline with regional staff.

What officials said
Wes (OEHHA): “The next 1 that should be coming out will be Mammoth Creek. So that should be sometime in November.”

The poll will remain open one week; results will be included in the work group’s follow‑up email and shared with OEHHA to help set 2026 priorities.