Welland River PFAS Contamination, Many "do not eat" fish in the Upper WR

[ilikepike]

PFAS Contamination in Welland
In the town of Welland, there is an unusual tourist attraction: a rivers crossing.
Not a typo. Not a place to cross a river. A crossing where one river passes beneath another.
You can see it for yourself on Google Earth: 42.9946°N, 79.2494°W.
At this spot, the Welland River flows underneath the Old Welland Canal.
The fish on top—in the Old Canal—are not especially contaminated with PFAS. The ones below—in the Welland River—are significantly contaminated with PFAS.
Oddly, the more contaminated fish don’t come from the old shipping canal, but rather from the scenic river winding through farmland and conservation areas.
(For details, consult the Guide to Eating Ontario Fish—available online. Ontario government policy is that anglers are responsible for checking this resource before eating what they catch. The meal advice in this discussion are the Guide’s recommendations for children and women of childbearing age.)
In the Old Welland Canal, fish show contamination by mercury and PCBs—widespread legacy pollutants in southern Ontario. Still, some of all seven tested species are considered safe to eat in moderation. The only exception is for large freshwater drum (over 20"), which are too contaminated with mercury. Four meals per month of smaller drum are considered acceptable.
But in the Welland River, contamination is worse—and the dominant pollutant is PFAS. Of 15 fish species tested, 13 show significant levels of PFAS contamination. For bluegill, the advice is stark: eat ZERO meals per month because of high levels of PFAS contamination. For white crappie over 12", walleye over 22", and freshwater drum over 24", the same “do not eat” advisory applies due to PFAS and mercury contamination.
So where is the PFAS coming from? Moving 40 km upstream:
________________________________________
Next stop: Port Davidson Conservation Area
(42.9970°N, 79.5662°W)
https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservati...s/port-davidson
The NPCA promotes this location as offering shoreline fishing and river access.
In the Guide, this stretch is called “Welland River: Binbrook Reservoir to Port Davidson.”
Twelve fish species were tested. All twelve were significantly contaminated with PFAS. Children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of yellow perch, white crappie, white perch, channel catfish, and carp because they are highly contaminated with PFAS. In addition, children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of walleye, black crappie, northern pike, largemouth bass, rock bass, and freshwater drum because they are highly contaminated with both PFAS and mercury.
There are no warning signs about fish contamination at the site—or on the NPCA’s PDCA webpage.
Since fish here are even more contaminated with PFAS than those in Welland, we must be getting closer to the source. Moving 55 km further upstream:
________________________________________
Next stop: Binbrook Conservation Area
(43°6'15"N, 79°51'W) — 95 km upstream of Welland.
Here, 10 of the 11 species of fish tested at Binbrook are highly contaminated “do not eat” fish for children and women of childbearing age.
Children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, channel catfish, and carp because they are highly contaminated with PFAS. In addition, children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of white crappie, northern pike, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass because they are highly contaminated with PFAS and mercury.
The only species of fish that it is “advisable” to eat are small (<10” long) brown bullhead. Children and women of childbearing age are “advised” it is “OK” to eat 4 meals per month of brown bullhead less than 10” long. But if they are longer than 10”, then ZERO meals per month should be eaten because of high levels of PFAS and mercury contamination.
Despite this, the Binbrook CA website says simply:
“Visitors are encouraged to practice catch-and-release fishing.”
An improved website could say:
All 11 fish species tested at Binbrook Conservation Area are highly contaminated. Children and women of childbearing age are advised to not eat them.
The PFAS contamination levels are still rising. Moving 9.8 km further upstream:
________________________________________
Next stop: Welland River at Highway 6 / Chippewa Rd E
(43°07'60"N, 79°55'27"W) — 105 km upstream of Welland.
At this roadside fishing spot, six fish species were tested.
Children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of all sizes of northern pike, brown bullhead, green sunfish, white sucker, and carp because they are highly contaminated with PFAS. Children and women of childbearing age are “advised” to consume ZERO meals per month of black crappie over 8” because they are highly contaminated with PFAS.
All six species are designated “do not eat” due to PFAS. No other contaminants even factor into the advisories anymore.
The PFAS contamination is still rising. So is the clarity of the source. Moving 5.2 km further upstream:
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Final stop: Former Firefighting Training Area, Hamilton International Airport
(43.1668°N, 79.9398°W) — 110 km upstream of Welland.
(If you go to look this location up in Google Earth, turn the date back to an earlier time such as 10/2016 to see the mock airplane fuselage used in fire-fighting practice.)
This site, used in the 1980s for fire foam (AFFF) training, is the confirmed source. PFAS-containing foam was repeatedly sprayed here. Most of the PFAS leaving the airport comes from this location.
Cleanup has been limited. According to an April 26, 2023 story in the Hamilton Spectator:
“Ontario government says PFOS continues to leak from airport grounds into streams”
“at levels above the agreed-upon threshold.”
From this hotspot, PFAS flows into the Welland River system—contaminating fish over 110 km downstream.
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Conclusion
PFAS levels in fish don’t fall off quickly. These chemicals are persistent and bioaccumulate in fish tissue.
The message on the Binbrook Conservation Area website is:
“Visitors are encouraged to practice catch-and-release fishing.”
That’s not good enough.
The reality:
• 10 of the 11 species of fish tested at Binbrook are “do not eat” fish for children and women of childbearing age. The exception—small brown bullhead—can be eaten occasionally, but only if under 10” long.
• High levels of PFAS contamination persist downstream at least to Port Davidson.
Ontario’s policy says the public should consult the Guide before eating fish—but newcomers and casual fishers may not know that.
A clearer, recurring message is needed—on websites and signs:
“Children and women of childbearing age should not eat fish caught downstream of PFAS/PFOS hotspots—such as the Welland River downstream of the Hamilton International Airport.”
That’s the truth. And it will still be true decades from now.

[MarkDv]

That appears as a very caring and worrisome post but unlikely it could make any difference here.
If you have such dramatic concerns about people eating contaminated fish and are ready to spend your time typing such long posts I would suggest instead writing letters to the provincial and local (more relevant) government and local MP. That could make a difference.

[Fishnhunt]

Very interesting post.

[ilikepike]

Thanks for your comment. This forum regularly features posts about where to fish, what to catch, and how to cook and eat those fish. That’s great—and exactly why sharing accurate, science-based information about contamination is relevant here.

According to Ontario government policy, anglers are personally responsible for consulting the Guide to Eating Ontario Fish before consuming their catch. This is especially important in the case of the upper Welland River, where many species are classified as “do not eat” due to PFAS contamination.

For example, at Binbrook Conservation Area, children and women of childbearing age are advised to eat ZERO meals per month of:

• yellow perch
• black crappie
• northern pike
• bluegill
• pumpkinseed
• white crappie
• largemouth bass
• smallmouth bass
• channel catfish
• carp

And even the one “allowed” species—brown bullhead—can only be eaten occasionally, and only if under 10" long.

Sharing this kind of information here helps anglers make informed decisions. Some readers may already be aware; others may not. Either way, knowing the facts gives people the option to protect their health and their families. That seems worth the effort.

[Disco]

The post is very valuable. It is in the right place. Every place is the right place as it’s fish consumption safety that’s paramount.

[Drew]

We’ve wrecked almost everything it seems

[ilikepike]

It can certainly feel that way—but it’s worth remembering that not all waters are equally contaminated.

That’s why the Guide to Eating Ontario Fish (available online) is such an important resource. It lets anglers make informed choices—avoiding fish from known contamination hotspots while still enjoying fish from cleaner waters.

The 2024 edition of the Guide contains data from 2,765 tested locations across Ontario. Contamination levels vary widely. In moderately contaminated areas, smaller individuals of a species (like pike) are often safer to eat than larger ones. But in highly contaminated areas, even the smallest fish of a species may be unsafe—resulting in a “do not eat” advisory for all sizes.

There are only three locations in Ontario where more than 7 species of fish are designated “do not eat” for children and women of childbearing age:

• Binbrook Reservoir (Welland River) – 10 species

• Port Davidson Conservation Area (Welland River) – 11 species

• Nottawasaga River (Jack’s Lake area) – 12 species

These are among the worst-contaminated spots in the province. I personally would not eat fish from those waters—and I certainly wouldn’t serve them to my family.

But the good news is this: most of Ontario’s waters aren’t this badly contaminated. If you check the Guide, you’ll find many places where advisories are far less severe.

We haven’t wrecked everything. But to protect yourself and your family, it’s wise to check the Guide before eating what you catch—especially if you’re feeding kids or women of childbearing age.