A Review of Elevated Mercury Levels and a Fish Consumption Survey at Berkeley Lake Located in Northwest Denver, Colorado

Date of Award

8-20-2008

Document Type

Undergraduate Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Applied Science

Organizational Unit

University College, Environmental Policy and Management

Disciplines

Environmental Policy & Mgmt

First Advisor

Kathy Flanagan

Keywords

Berkeley Lake, Environmental justice, Fish, Fish consumption, Mercury, Survey

Abstract

A fish consumption advisory for mercury was issued at Berkeley Lake in March of 2006. The managing agencies have little knowledge of the fish consumption habits or demographic profile of Berkeley Lake anglers. A fish consumption survey was conducted at Berkeley Lake in an effort to answer some of these questions and to evaluate the possibility of environmental justice concerns associated with the lake. The survey results reveal that 74 percent of respondents are minorities, 32 percent of respondent's household incomes are between forty-six and seventy-one thousand dollars annually, and 42 percent of respondents have at least a high school degree. Over half of respondents reported consuming the fish harvested from the lake. While a high percentage of those surveyed were minorities, other factors such as socioeconomic status and access to other fishing sites do not support an environmental justice claim.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.

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