Sewage In The Buffalo River

[grizwilson]

National Park Service traces sewage leak to Buffalo River

From National Park Service • December 5, 2009

*From the Baxter Bulletin

*

Early in August, Buffalo National River officials received notification from Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) regarding high bacteria readings in Mill Creek, downstream from the Highway 7 bridge in Newton County. These findings were independently confirmed by BNR. ADEQ determined that a faulty lift station, part of the sewer treatment plant at Marble Falls, was leaking raw sewage into upper Mill Creek.

Sewage from the lift station continues to run over ground into the uppermost portions of Mill Creek, entering a sinkhole in the streambed just below the lift station and directly entering the groundwater system.

Buffalo National River Superintendent Kevin Cheri stated, "The National Park Service views this as a serious situation, both in terms of human health and safety, and the health of the river ecosystem. We will continue to monitor Mill Creek and the Buffalo River, and to advise the public on the risk of recreating in Mill Creek and within Buffalo River while the leaking lift station is in disrepair."

Buffalo National River is concerned foremost about public health and safety and began a process to determine if the sewage entering the sinkhole was contributing to the high bacteria counts in lower Mill Creek, and if the bacteria concentrations in Mill Creek and Buffalo River were high enough to be a health concern to the public recreating on the river.

In mid-October, Buffalo National River obtained the services of a hydro-geologist to dye-trace the sewage from the leaking lift station. Results showed that the dye flowed directly from the faulty lift station down Mill Creek to the Buffalo River in just over one day, demonstrating that raw sewage from the lift station was entering the Buffalo River. Results from the bacteria monitoring throughout Mill Creek and associated tributaries, found that Mill Creek was significantly higher in bacteria than normal.

[bobber]

just don't dip coffee water below Pruitt for a while ,you'll be ok

[taxidermist]

You are going to boil it anyway!.. Pump at Dogpatch has been down for a copuple years. Do they think people forget about that?

[bobber]

like the bathroom potty house going under water ? or all the deposit's from 85,000 floaters annually

[grizwilson]

like the bathroom potty house going under water ? or all the deposit's from 85,000 floaters annually

Fish poop in it also

[taxidermist]

Dont forget the elk poop. deer poop, horse crap and so muck more. Somehow Ijust dont think a pump thats been out for a couple years is going to make a difference..

Plus the drainage area from Boxley on down..

Hum if I pee outside it will finally run into the Buffalo.... Hey dont drink the water!!!!

Um yea and fish breed init too.

[Al Agnew]

Kinda depends upon how many people are contributing to the sewage that is getting into the river. We don't usually worry about elk poop and deer poop because the numbers aren't high enough or concentrated enough that the natural processes can't break it down. But a sewage outflow from a bunch of people, or a whole bunch of livestock in one small area (feedlot, big horse stable, etc.) is another story entirely. If however many people that were contributing to that sewage outflow were instead scattering out in the woods and going to the bathroom, it would be a lot less of a problem than all their poop going into one place. So you can't seriously equate wild animal poop to human poop concentrated in untreated sewage outflow.

[Zack Hoyt]

Bedside reading.....

http://www.adeq.state.ar....nsOnline/046890-Insp.pdf

http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/ftproot/pub/we...iles/03-049.pdf

[grizwilson]

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine...

And those who don't.

As Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom,

In beer there is freedom,

In water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials,

Scientists have demonstrated that if we drink

1 liter of water each day,

At the end of the year we would have absorbed

More than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) - bacteria

Found in feces.

In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop..

However,

We do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer

(or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor)

Because alcohol has to go through a purification process

Of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:

Water = Poop,

Wine = Health.

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, Than to drink water and be full of dung.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information:

I'm doing it as a public service

[Zack Hoyt]

From the Harrison Daily Times.....

Marble Falls district elects commissioners

Staff Report

Published: Thursday, January 7, 2010 6:08 AM

MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls Sewer Improvement District elected commissioners during a community-wide public meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, at The Hub Conference Center at Marble Falls.

Commissioners include Donnie Crain, Vince Law and Valerie Honeycutt; only Honeycutt has previous experience as a commissioner.

Crain estimated 25 people, residents and property owners, were at the meeting.

During the meeting, former commissioners gave an update on the status of the sewer improvement district, the sewer system, and the options available to address the system’s current issues.

One of the sewer improvement’s lift stations was disabled during the January 2009 ice storm and sewage has been flowing into a tributary of the Buffalo River, according to officials with the Department of Environmental Quality.

Crain said the district is served by two lift stations. The lift station serving the motel and other facilities at the top of the hill continues to function.

He said the disabled lift station was used by 20 chalets, including some that are not occupied full-time, a five-unit apartment complex and a 24-unit apartment building.

Since the meeting, Crain said a letter was sent to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality notifying the state agency of the district’s new commissioners, which he called an important first step in bring the district into compliance with state authorities.

The district is currently consulting engineers to develop a plan and necessary financing to address the system’s faulty lift station. Upon completion of the plan, the district will announce and hold another community meeting to present the plan and receive community feedback.