‘A significant milestone:’ PCB advisory on carp lifted at Utah Lake
-
- Division of Wildlife Resources employees load carp onto a boat Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Provo Bay at Utah Lake.
-
- Utah Lake Authority Executive Director Luke Peterson speaks Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at Skipper Bay Trailhead in Provo.
A fish consumption advisory for carp was lifted from Utah Lake, a change officials say reflects the health of the lake and its ecosystem.
The advisory was placed in 2005 due to a banned industrial chemical called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that was found in the carp.
A recent study conducted by the Utah Lake Authority, or ULA, and conducted by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality found PCB levels have dropped dramatically and are considered safe after years of carp removal and watershed cleanups, according to the ULA.
“This is a lot bigger than a fish that most people don’t actually eat,” ULA Director Luke Peterson said Wednesday. “Today is really about the lake and the progress that it’s made.”
Peterson said PCBs are toxic residue that was left behind by Geneva Steel. He said carp absorbed lingering PCBs in their flesh while feeding on the lake’s bottom, leading to high chemical levels in the fish when tested 20 years ago. .
“Carp are giant ugly goldfish, effectively, right? They live for decades. We catch 40- and 50-year-old carp all the time, and a lot of them grew up alongside Geneva Steel,” Peterson said.
Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Quality, said the contamination was a serious issue because PCBs are linked to certain cancers, neurodevelopmental issues in children and immune and reproductive system disruptions.
However, the past 16 years has seen a push from state organizations to clean the lake through the June Sucker Recovery program and the establishment of the Utah Lake Authority. More than 30 million pounds of carp have been removed from the lake since 2010, effectively removing PCBs from the ecosystem, Peterson said.
Hasenyager said the PCB values in the lake have fallen by 80% in the last 20 years
“This is a significant milestone, as it is a signal that the lake ecosystem is moving in the right direction,” she said. “It’s a huge win for the community, for local anglers, and for the future of Utah Lake itself.”
