High contamination levels found in Jacks Fork River

Daily American Republic

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A recent study revealed the Jacks Fork River near Eminence, Mo., has a high bacteria level, but is still safe for swimmers and boaters.

The major source of the contamination appears to be coliform found in feces from animal waste, said Mark Newell, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey, although officials are still trying to determine the exact source of contamination.

"We've narrowed it down to raw sewage, animal waste and human waste," he said.

The 15 sites tested along the river were sampled between November 1999 and December 2000.

The 43-page report identifies several areas along the river with a lot of bacteria. The report is the second phase of a three-phase study of the river. The first phase determined the location and magnitude of microbiological contamination, the current phase is trying to determine the source of contamination, and the final phase will attempt to establish sample locations for long-term monitoring.

Trail rides in the area appear to be a major source of the problem, with as many as 3,000 horseback riders per week on the trails during the summer. Horse manure found along the trail can easily wash into the river when it rains.

The wastewater treatment plant in Eminence was ruled out as a source, Newell said, but other possible sources could include pit toilets, septic tanks, cattle, campgrounds and people using the river.

Testing during activity

"We did a lot of testing during times when lots of activity was going on at campsites and with horse riding," Newell said.

The Department of Natural Resources is in charge of enforcing cleanup, and Gary Gaines of its Poplar Bluff office said they are pursuing enforcement action against Cross Country Trail Rides, a large area trail ride operation.

"We had evidence they were contributing to the coliform count in the region," Gaines said.

But Cross Country and other trail ride operations are not the only source of fecal contamination. Gaines said the report indicates there are several potential sources, including humans.

"People use the river," he said. "We don't have hard evidence right now for sure which source is contributing the most. More studies will be done. We will be looking at the results of that to give us a better indication of where it is coming from."

Even with the studies going on and the higher levels of contamination in parts of the Jacks Fork River, Gaines stressed that the river is safe to use.

"Right now the testing being done indicates on very rare occasions there are slight excedences in the river," he said. "We hope by identifying potential problems and dealing with them, there will never become a time when the river can't be used. We may get to the point where we're talking about limiting the use of it. The river is important; it is used by many people. Tourism in the area is very important to the economy. We have an obligation to protect the safety of that river."

The process is ongoing, Gaines said.

"We're very concerned about the quality of the river," he said. "We're working hard to protect the quality and doing all we can and keeping it from getting worse."