Local activists are worried about California's plan to dump chemicals into Lake Davis to stamp out northern pike.
Conservationists say the northern pike is an invasive predator that must be removed from the Sierra Nevada lake before it spreads to the Sacramento River Delta -- where is could disrupt the populations of native salmon, steelhead and delta smelt, The Christian Science Monitor reported Thursday.
Local activists in Portola, Calif., say the conservation effort doesn't justify putting chemicals into the lake, which is slated for future drinking water use.
Former Town Councilor Larry Douglas said the fish poison, CFT Legumine, has not been tested on humans.
"This has never been tested on a human population before. And I have no desire for our children to be the guinea pigs," Douglas told the newspaper.
The state Department of Health Services says the chemical concentrations fall well within legal limits or within their own safety guidelines.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
