LITTLE ROCK — Warning signs are being placed along a section of the Buffalo National River because officials are worried about high levels of E. coli in the water.
“We’d love to be able to tell people the Buffalo is the cleanest river in the world, but it ain’t because of this problem,” said Caven Clark, park spokesman.
On Tuesday, Clark announced that signs were being installed along a small section of the country’s first national river because of the potential health risk from swimming in waters that could have high levels of bacteria.
The bacteria is thought to be coming from the malfunctioning sewer system that serves Marble Falls, a small community that was once part of the old Dogpatch USA theme park.
A temporary pump installed in February stopped the flow of raw sewage into Mill Creek and subsequently into the river, but tests have continued to show bacteria levels in the river sometimes exceed state standards, Clark said. While there may be potential for high levels of bacteria in the river from Mill Creek to a quarter-mile south of the Crow Hole, near Pruitt, according to Clark, there is no threat to the rest of the river.
The Marble Falls sewer improvement district faces civil action by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, which filed suit after a sewer pump failed in January 2009.
Clark said there is no threat to people canoeing or kayaking on the river. Indeed, children are probably the most susceptible because they are most likely to ingest water, he said.
“For this relatively brief section of river, this may be not where you want to take kids swimming,” Clark said.
The area near Mill Creek is the only section of concern along the 130-mile river, Clark said. The area likely won’t pose a threat, but the staff decided the public should be aware of the threat anyway, he said.
“This was hard for us,” he said.
The orange signs, which are topped with the words “Water Quality Alert,” state that water quality can change daily, and offer a phone number to call for the latest testing results. The signs say visitors may visit the website at nps.gov/buff or call (888) 692-1162 for more information.
An employee who answered the phone Tuesday had no knowledge of the number’s being listed for information about the water alert.
State environmental regulators support the decision to mark the location but will remain focused on the task of getting the community to replace its sewer system, said Ryan Benefield, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Benefield said his staff conducts its own tests, though at less regular intervals, but it also reviews data collected by the park. He said he has not seen any data that show high levels of bacteria in the river.
“Unless I haven’t seen the latest numbers, they’re not seeing unusual levels,” he said. “They’re consistent with this time of year, regardless of the Marble Falls situation.”
Benefield said tributaries have tested above state limits, but they are on private property, so the threat to the public would be limited. Mill Creek was dry at the site of the formerly leaking pumpstation when an environmental inspector visited earlier this month, he said.
The improvement district has continued to work toward meeting the requirements agreed to in court, which includes a complete assessment of the system, Benefield said. The next hearing is scheduled for June 30 and the court will be apprised of its progress, he said.
The department can, at any point, resume its pursuit of permission to shut off water service to Marble Falls, should that become necessary, Benefield said.
The improvement district is seeking loans and grants to pay for replacing its treatment plant and much of its collection system, said Donnie Crain, one of the sewer improvement district commissioners.
Crain said work is estimated at just under $900,000 but the district can only afford a loan of about $96,000. He said that the community has every intention of repairing its sewer system and won’t shirk its responsibility.
However, Crain said there are several other sources of E. coli in the river beyond Marble Falls. Other septic systems and several agricultural operations can contribute to the higher levels, he said.
It may be a little late in the season to worry about bacteria, said Mike Mills, owner of Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca.
Mills said that part of the river is starting to get too low to float. If it rains, people may float it, he said, but they likely wouldn’t be ready for a swim within the first mile, so they wouldn’t get in there anyway.
“From an outfitting standpoint, certainly we’re aware of it and try to make customers aware of it, but it’s basically a nonfactor,” Mills said. “Nobody’s caught anything from it at this point.”
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 06/23/2010