Water Tests Do Not Show Wastewater Bacteria

SAMPLES COME FROM ILLINOIS RIVER TRIBUTARY

FAYETTEVILLE — Test results from water samples taken along an Illinois River tributary did not sound any alarms or show that a wastewater treatment facility serving Valley View subdivision is releasing effluent into the nearby stream.

“My biggest concern is there any ongoing bacteria and I think this addresses that,” said Larry Oelrich, Prairie Grove director of administrative services and public works.

Prairie Grove and Washington County contracted with Dr. Brian Haggard, director of Arkansas Water Resource Center at the University of Arkansas, to take samples upstream and downstream from the aeration lagoon for Washington County Property Owners Improvement District No. 5, the sanitary waste treatment and disposal system that serves Valley View subdivision.

Joe Stewart, chairman of the Improvement District’s Commission, issued the following statement Monday morning about the results: “We have been confident all along that we have taken the correct measures to protect the watershed. We feel somewhat vindicated by the results of these tests. The improvement district is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of a sewer system of this type.”

The officials decided to sample the tributary after repeated inspections by Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in March found untreated wastewater overflowing from the pond. ADEQ

issued an emergency order for the district to cease the overflow and clean up the area.

Last week, Haggard went over the results with Oelrich, Washington County Attorney Steve Zega, county grants administrator and public utility director Renee Biby, and assistant grant administrator/ legal assistant Lanie Miller, during a meeting at the Washington County Courthouse.

Results from a certified lab at the University of Arkansas show Haggard submitted samples from seven sites, with four located upstream from the improvement district’s pond and three located downstream.

The objective was to determine indicators of human impact and see if abrupt changes occurred in the stream from one point to another.

The lab results show samples were analyzed for multiple chemicals, such as sodium, phosphorus and sulfate, but two of the main ones Haggard considered were evidence of E coli and nitrates.

Two sites upstream had the highest bacterial numbers for E. coli.

One site showed 727.7 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters and the other one came back with 613.1 units. Ideally, this should be zero, Haggard said, but ADEQ has a standard range around 250 units per 100 milliliters. The other sites tested ranged from 100 to 201 units.

Looking at the analysis, Haggard could not determine a specific source for the bacteria but noted a primary source for E. coli is waterfowl.

“If there are a lot of geese in the area, that’s one of the biggest sources,” Haggard told city and county officials.

Results for nitrates showed a bigger concentration as the tributary goes through Valley View subdivision and beyond.

Haggard attributes this to land use, including pastures in the area, lawns in Valley View subdivision and the golf course.

Landscape influences, such as fertilizer, will affect nitrate levels, Haggard said.

“I’m glad we got good news,” Oelrich told Haggard. “It wasn’t really what I expected.”

Oelrich asked him about taking additional samples if anything down the road “raised our eyebrows.” Haggard said the city and county can submit their own samples to the UA lab and he recommended they set up a protocol if they wanted to do that.

His results are based on one sampling on that one day, Haggard said.

“We may do this periodically for our own peace of mind,” Oelrich said.

Oelrich and Zega agreed to meet to discuss setting up a quarterly sampling plan.