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Wastewater kills fish in area creek
Published in the Pearland Journal
06/14/06
Staff Reports
Elevated levels of septic sewage and animal waste that seeped into Coward's Creek early last week, killing some fish, are leading some residents to stay high and dry.
Galveston County Health District officials cautioned would-be swimmers to set suits aside until infectious fecal-related bacteria washes out.Anyone exposed to creek water should clean cuts and wounds with anti-bacterial medication and wash his or her ears thoroughly, health officials said.
A Friendswood resident on Baker Road reported the dying fish Tuesday afternoon, June 6, suggesting possible dumping in the creek.
Investigators from Friendswood, Pearland and Galveston County traced the main source to a bottlenecked drainage ditch that funnels into Coward's Creek near Dixie Farm Road in Pearland, said Bobby Whisenant, Pearland's water production and wastewater treatment superintendent.
Although the source smelled like raw sewage and had turned creek water a dark tea color, investigators could not confirm dumping, Whisenant said.
Water samples that Pearland collected from two sites and sent off for lab testing confirmed animal and human fecal matter, possibly overflow or pumped waste from a septic tank, he said.
No hazardous chemicals were found.
Additional animal fecal matter traced upstream could have resulted from recent severe rains that washed accumulated livestock waste from above the banks into Coward's Creek, said Brian Rutherford, public health planner for the health district.
Stagnated fecal material then spawned bacteria, which, in turn, lowered oxygen levels and killed some fish."We did find that the oxygen levels are already improving," Rutherford said Monday.
Other Coward's Creek investigators included the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Railroad Commission.
Pearland officials have routinely monitored area creeks since 1999, with 23 sampling sites on Coward's Creek, Clear Creek and Mary's Creek, ensuring that wastewater discharged does not exceed the state's requirements, Whisenant said.
For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org |
