Ortonville- Recent testing for e.coli in Kearsley Creek found unsatisfactory levels in three of five samples, however, more testing is needed.
‘There appears to be a significant level of e.coli in the creek,? said Village Manager Ed Coy, who is concerned, but adds, ‘It’s just a snapshot. We need to take a couple more samples to verify the results.?
Water samples were taken on May 15 by Department of Public Works Supervisor Bill Prince in five different areas of the creek? near Granger Road; on the south and north sides of Mill Street; at Narrin Park near Oakwood Road; and by South Street, next to A&W Restaurant.
The Oakland County Health Division deems levels of 300 colony forming units and above unsafe for full body contact (swimming). More than 1,000 CFU is unsafe for partial body contact.
OCHD laboratory testing found levels of 89 CFU at the Granger Road site and 240 CFU on the south side of Mill Street near the Old Mill, both considered satisfactory levels. However, unsatisfactory ratings were given for the Narrin Park site, with 308 CFU; the north Mill Street site, 365 CFU; and the South Street site, with 866 CFU.
Ron Fadoir, environmental planner for the Oakland County Drain Commissioner’s office, said the levels are unsatisfactory, but not uncommon. E.coli contamination, he notes, can come from many sources, including dog feces or goose droppings.
‘Under 1,000 we don’t worry about,? he said. ‘Above 1,000, we start looking for sewage sources… Especially if you see toilet paper in the creek. We haven’t seen that yet.?
Fadoir does recommend more sampling be done, particularly in the area of South Street where the level is approaching 1,000 colony forming units.
‘If you sample over a three to six month period and get high counts of bacteria, then you wonder if there is a failed septic or something else,? he said, suggesting sampling should be done during rainy weather and dry weather and officials might want to come back and sample the 866 location a few more times, during both rainy and dry weather.
Fadoir said the OCDC will do more sampling of Kearsley Creek prior to CreekFest, planned for June 9, to ensure the creek is safe.
Testing last year in May and June found levels of CFU to be in the 600-700 range. Last September, e.coli levels near the Mill Street bridge were found to be 1,553 CFU and 1,300 CFU respectively.
According to the laboratory findings, the bacteriological analysis is for the coliform bacterial group only. Such an analysis does not detect the presence of other types of bacteria or chemical contamination which may be present. Coliforms are commonly associated with sewage and used as indicator organisms. This is due to their origin in the intestinal tract in humans and other warm-blooded animals.