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DNR announces PFAS fish and waterfowl advisories for Stella area and Green Bay; more sampling planned
Summary
The Natural Resources Board was briefed on new PFAS‑based consumption advisories: a do‑not‑eat advisory for multiple waterbodies near Stella (Oneida County) and a Green Bay advisory limiting consumption of mallards and wood ducks after DNR testing. DNR said additional sampling and coordination with EPA and DHS will continue.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources told the Natural Resources Board Sept. 24 it has issued new PFAS‑based consumption advisories after targeted sampling in two regions: the Stella area of Oneida County and parts of Green Bay.
Oneida County (Stella area). Following a 2022 statewide private‑well study that identified elevated PFAS in groundwater near the town of Stella, the department expanded testing of private wells, surface water, fish and deer. The DNR announced updates to the existing Moen Chain advisory: the department recommends a do‑not‑eat advisory for all fish species in Moen Lake and Second through Fifth Lake, and in Sunset Lake, Snowdon Lake and in Starks Creek upstream to Starks Spring. For deer harvested within a five‑mile radius of Stella town hall, the DNR recommends limiting muscle (edible cuts) to one meal per month and advises against consuming deer liver.
Green Bay (upper bay / Duck advisory). DNR sampling conducted in 2022–24 for legacy contaminants also included opportunistic PFAS testing of resident waterfowl tissue (mallard and wood duck). Because the tissue sampling included juvenile birds taken locally in July and August, DNR toxicologists concluded the elevated PFAS levels indicated local exposure. The department issued a do‑not‑eat advisory for mallards in a southern portion of Green Bay (from Long Tail Point south toward the Fox River mouth) and recommended a maximum of one mallard meal per month and one wood‑duck meal per week within a larger upper‑bay area (Marinette to Sturgeon Bay to Long Tail Point) where sampling found elevated PFAS in some birds.
DNR officials said PFAS contamination sources can be complex and sometimes difficult to identify; the department is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on site inspection and sampling in Oneida County. DNR toxicologists also said different species and tissues concentrate PFAS differently; liver and organs can show higher concentrations than muscle. DNR will conduct additional opportunistic waterfowl sampling in Green Bay this fall and said advisories may be adjusted as more data are collected.
The department notified tribal governments, local governments and partners before public release and updated hunting and consumer advisory web pages. Mimi Johnson, director of DNR’s Office of Emerging Contaminants, said the agency will keep coordinating with DHS, EPA and local stakeholders.
Speakers: Mimi Johnson (DNR Office of Emerging Contaminants) and Jasmine Batten (DNR Wildlife Health).
