The Donna Canal and Reservoir System is a 400-acre area located southwest of the City of Donna, Texas in southeast Hidalgo County within the Arroyo Colorado watershed. The water from the system is used by the City of Donna as a drinking water supply and for crop irrigation.
The site was identified in 1993 by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Both agencies began a two-year joint investigation with numerous fish and sediment samplings, water assessments, as well as searches for contamination sources. To date, no sources of contamination have been found.
Several reports in 1993 and 1994 by DSHS indicate that high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in fish at the Donna Canal and Reservoir. As a result, a fish possession ban was placed on the canals and reservoir. Even though this ban has been in effect since 1994, people continue to catch and consume the contaminated fish.
The EPA, working in cooperation with the City of Donna, Donna Irrigation District, TCEQ, DSHS, Texas Parks and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will conduct a removal action for the depopulation of contaminated fish in the Donna Canal. The larger, edible sized fish in Donna canal are contaminated with PCBs above US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowable consumption limits.
