The NC Division of Public Health has recently gone public with some information that they have apparently known for a couple of years: Walnut Creek and Rocky Branch Creek are contaminated with PCBs, which are a class of chemicals known to cause serious health problems in humans and wildlife.

These streams, which run through the city of Raleigh (Rocky Branch runs through areas that include the NC State Campus and Raleigh's Central District before emptying into the Neuse River) were likely contaminated by PCBs that were leaked from various Ward Transformer company facilities in South Raleigh. Ward Transformer has been involved with several Raleigh-Durham area PCB mishaps: one of their Triangle-area facilities was even declared an EPA Superfund site due to PCB contamination.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has issued a fish consumption advisory, stating that it may be harmful to eat carp or catfish from the affected streams more than once per month. The advisory also suggests that other types of fish caught in the affected areas be eaten no more often than once per week.

There are several other bodies of water in the Raleigh-Durham area that are known to be contaminated with PCBs. These include Crabtree Creek, the Neuse River just below Crabtree Creek, Brier Creek and Lake Crabtree.

The state of NC and the city of Raleigh are working to get warning signs posted in popular fishing spots along the contaminated waterways.