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Parents urged to be
cautious around creek
By Laura Elder
Published June 10, 2006
in the Daily News
Friendswood — Parents should exercise
caution before allowing children or pets to play in or near Cowards Creek, where
elevated levels of animal waste were blamed for clouding the water and killing
some fish this week, county officials say.
County officials and investigators from Pearland say water samples, including
from near Baker Road in Friendswood, show high levels of bacteria associated
with fecal matter in Cowards Creek this week. The
presence of fecal coliform in water can cause illness and infections.
Ronnie Schultz, director of environmental health programs for the Galveston
County Health District, said swimmers should be cautious near Cowards Creek,
which runs from Brazoria County through northern Galveston County.
Anyone who swims in the creek, or in any
non-chlorinated waters for that matter, should treat any cuts and wounds with
anti-bacterial medications and clean their ears thoroughly, Schultz said.
The city of Pearland led the investigation, which began Wednesday after the
water’s clarity changed and there were reports of a small fish kill in Cowards
Creek. Friendswood city officials had advised parents to keep pets and children
out of the water.
Shohn Davison, an investigator with Pearland’s fire marshal’s office, said what
likely occurred was fecal matter from nearby farms had accumulated in fields
because of lack of rains. But when heavy rains arrived last week, it washed the
fecal matter from pigs and cows into the creek.
When water levels dropped, the fecal matter stagnated, and bacteria bloomed,
lowering oxygen levels and killing some fish, Davison said.
Officials with Pearland, Friendswood, the Galveston County Health District,
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department participated in the investigation. The Texas Railroad Commission also
participated.
For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org |
