By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
The Newton County Health Department posted advisories Tuesday at public access points to Shoal Creek, telling people to take precautions when swimming in area creeks and streams.
“The creek might look nice and clear, but it might not be quite as clean as people think it is when they go for a swim,” said Bob Kulp, director of the Newton County Health Department. “It’s the same thing we found last year. At some points on the creek, we have found low numbers for E. coli, but at others points, it’s over 1,000 colonies.”
Elevated E. coli levels typically are found after heavy rains. High levels of the bacteria indicate the presence of pathogenic microorganisms that increase the risk for illness.
Kulp noted that the department has issued an advisory, not a public health emergency. The public should not necessarily avoid the creeks but should use good hygiene, such as hand washing, after contact with the water. Swimmers should avoid ingestion of the water.
“We thought before the Memorial Day weekend it would be a good idea to let the public know there may be some problems out there, and that it varies from one creek to the next and from one week to the next,” he said. “Any of these creeks can have high bacteria loads, especially after heavy rains.
“They need to understand there are times when the creeks might not be safe. It is not like a swimming pool.”
The Newton County and Lawrence County health departments use the standard of 235 E. coli colonies per 100 milliliters of fresh water for full-body contact. The standard was established in 1986 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The state of Missouri, after reviewing the EPA’s criteria for risk, chose a standard of 126 colonies per 100 milliliters. John Hoke, with the water protection program of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the state chose 126 colonies as the standard because it is more protective of human health.
Kulp said samples taken last week from Shoal Creek showed elevated levels of E. coli near Walleye Bridge at the Barry County line. The colony count there was 1,413. The count dropped to 173 at the old Route E bridge in Granby. It increased to 980 colonies at Lime Kiln Bridge, then dropped to 238 at Allen Bridge.
Samples also showed 168 colonies at the Undercliff campground, 184 at the Tipton Ford Conservation Area, 139 at Redings Mill and 20 at Schermerhorn Park, south of Galena, Kan.
Hickory, Capps, Indian and Lost creeks recently were listed by the state as impaired because of elevated E. coli levels.
Water samples taken in April by the Lawrence County Health Department showed 2,419 colonies in Honey Creek at Marionville City Park and in Williams Creek at Mount Vernon City Park. Spring River had levels ranging from 5 to 387 colonies at four sites.
The Jasper County Health Department has ordered about $5,500 in lab equipment to do stream sampling, which should begin in two weeks, said Tony Moehr, director of the department.
“We want to go outside of the area where the Carthage stream team has worked,” he said. “That would include other areas of Spring River, Center Creek and Turkey Creek.
“We have identified 20 sites countywide, including where Spring River enters the county and where it exits the county. We also want to sample where the North Fork runs into Spring River.”
A section of Spring River through Carthage also has been added to the state’s list of impaired streams because of elevated bacteria levels.
Moehr said the department wants to get “a better handle on what is going on within the watersheds in the county.” He noted that a Spring River watershed group could be forming, and that the group will need baseline information.
“We hope people are assuming that most natural waters have the potential to have high levels of bacterial contamination,” he said.
Shoal Creek meeting
A meeting of the Shoal Creek Watershed Partnership is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at the Lampo Building, 500 E. Spring St., in Neosho.
The group will talk about a strategic management plan for the watershed and watershed restoration, according to Jerry Carter, chairman of the group’s executive committee.
