TDEC Issues Advisory for French Broad River
August 22, 2026, 7:25 p.m.
KNOX, SEVIER COUNTIES – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has issued a precautionary consumption advisory for black bass due to mercury in the French Broad River in Sevier and Knox counties.
TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the black bass and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.
From 1998- 2025, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and EPA, in cooperation with TDEC, collected fish for tissue analysis on French Broad River. The targeted fish species were black bass (largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass). Fish were analyzed for mercury by TDH through a contract with TDEC and at the EPA laboratory. French Broad River is a tributary to the Tennessee River near Sevierville, Tenn.
The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Black bass were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average 0.42 mg/kg. The advisory for this section of the Duck River is part of TDEC’s responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
The new precautionary advisory extends from confluence with Tennessee River (Fort Loudon reservoir) upstream to Douglas dam.
About Fish Consumption Advisories
The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act identifies the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as having the authority and responsibility to issue advisories for either water contact hazards like pathogens or excessive health risks due to the accumulation of contaminants in fish or shellfish. Tennessee’s General Water Quality Criteria provide additional guidance regarding the conditions under which advisories may be warranted.
Where new advisories have been issued, TDEC will immediately begin the process of notifying the public at primary public access points. TDEC works in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to communicate information about fishing advisories.
A complete listing of Tennessee’s current fishing advisories plus additional information about the advisory issuance process can be found on the TDEC website.
