BENTON — A portion of the Saline River is unsafe for swimming, health officials announced Friday after investigating four cases of severe diarrhea among people who swam there.
Multiple tests of the water near the Arkansas 5 bridge, which crosses a stretch of the river’s north fork on the north side of Benton, revealed unsafe levels of E. coli, Arkansas Department of Health spokesman Ed Barham said.
“We are posting warnings on this particular stretch of the river, but people need to know that swimming in rivers, lakes and streams anywhere in the state can be dangerous to your health,” Dr. James Phillips, head of the infectious diseases branch for the Arkansas Department of Health, said in a prepared statement.
As of Friday afternoon, warning signs hadn’t been posted near the beach area that’s popular with families this time of year. A grassy area just off the riverbank behind the Riverside Grocery features picnic tables, charcoal grills and a parking area.
At least a dozen people - mostly children - were playing in the mellow, stagnant water Friday about 3 p.m. Women sunbathed as their children splashed and soaked in shallow water.
“That’s really creepy,” Benton resident Kim Hanley said when she learned of the E. coli levels. Her 10-year-old son and his friend had been playing in the water all day.
She said her 2-year-old niece had gulped in some water from the river, like children tend to do, on Monday, but she hadn’t heard of any health problems.
Hanley said she’d gone home earlier in the day with stomach cramps but felt OK by afternoon and returned to sunbathe in her black bikini.
“I hope they get it resolved and post some information,” she said.
Barham didn’t know the reason for the high E. coli levels but stressed that during hot months in areas where water is still, conditions become perfect for bacteria to thrive. Other times, he said, unsafe levels come from agricultural, industrial or other sources.
An E. coli problem in the Buffalo River at Marble Falls that was announced earlier this week was linked to a sewage-treatment plant, Barham noted. He said he wasn’t aware of any swimming-related illness stemming from that site.
The Health Department wouldn’t reveal any information about those who became sick after swimming in the Saline River, citing patient privacy concerns.
Barham urged parents to take precautions, including cleaning their babies’ bottoms before letting them get into swimming areas, telling children not to drink the water, and having all swimmers bathe before and after taking a dip.
More testing will be done Monday in the Saline River to see if the water has become safe, he said.
“We sure don’t want to discourage anybody from going swimming in the summertime, but it’s a good thing to know there are risks associated with swimming in the lakes, waters and streams,” Barham said.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 06/26/2010