State Department Of Health: Don't Eat Fish From Lake Elmo

LAKE ELMO, Minnesota (WCCO) -- Ahead of the state fishing opener, health officials are warning anglers about consuming the catch of the day on two Twin Cities area lakes.

All fish from Lake Elmo and any largemouth bass from Lake Harriet in Minneapolis are on the list of banned fish for eating this year.

To determine the ban, researchers focused on six lakes and the Mississippi River between the Ford Dam and the Hastings lock and dam.

They found the water in Lake Elmo contained high levels of contaminants from the surface and groundwater, likely caused by the former 3M disposal site in Oakdale.

Potentially dangerous contaminants were also found in Lake Harriet's large mouth bass population.

For more information on the fish population in your local lake, click here.

Statewide general safe-eating fish guidelines can also be found here.