Fun on the Fork earlier this year. Credit: Tyler Bissmeyer/Special to The Courier-Journal.
A new draft report on Floyds Fork documents just how much icky bacteria is in it — and it’s a lot. In some cases, like more than 200 times what’s considered acceptable.
For some stretches of the waterway, fecal coliform and E. coli might have to be reduced by some 80 to 98 percent from peak levels to meet water quality standards, according to the report.
The report is called a TMDL, or total maximum daily load. It’s really dense and difficult to read, full of mathematical formulas, charts, diagrams and tables. But is is also something of a cleanup plan in that it generally identifies the amount of pollution and its sources.
I did not find anything in there that attempted to estimate how much pollution was caused by the various sources, however.
Peter Goodmann, assistant director of the Kentucky Division of Water, tells me the plan is a guide that can be used for watershed planning, which seeks to improve water quality largely through voluntary measures, as well as with regulations on stormwater runnoff at the city and county level. He said the bacteria comes from a variety of sources, including stormwater runoff from cities and farms, and sometimes from partially treated sewage from sewage treatment plants.
This document is one of a couple of cleanup plans being developed for Floyds Fork, and state officials are seeking public comment on it until July 29. It addresses E. coli and fecal coliform impairments of 18 stream segments in the Floyds Fork watershed, located in Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties.
“It has been known for years that various tributaries of Floyds Fork and segments of the creek itself have been polluted or impaired by high bacteria levels,” said Tim Joice with Kentucky Waterways Alliance.
“It is important to recognize that Floyds Fork is a very effluent-dominated stream, meaning much of its flow comes from sewage treatment plant discharges, and from package treatment plants. Because of that, when those facilities have issues with (treatment) … then there are many instances through the year of fecal matter getting discharged into the creek and its tributaries.”
Joice said it’s getting better, noting that MSD is working to close one of the culprits — the Jeffersontown wastewater treatment plant. MSD is also going to close a few remaining smaller, older package plants.
Also in Jefferson County, MSD is taking steps to make sure stormwater gets required treatment before flushing into creeks, including Floyds Fork.
This report, however, shows just how far we have to go.
Comments should be sent in writing to Andrea Fredenburg, Division of Water, 200 Fair Oaks Lane, Fourth Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601 or by email to Andrea.Fredenburg@ky.gov.
Floyds Fork watershed. Credit: Kentucky Division of Water.