Water Quality

Water samples taken prior to the start of construction of the beach at Cedar Creek Lake show acceptable levels of the kind of bacteria that could make people sick. Five samples taken at the beach area and the dam of Cedar Creek Lake ranged from two to 10 colonies per 100 milliliters of water of fecal coliforms, which include E. coli, a bug that can make you sick as a dog. Kentucky statute allows up to 200 colonies per 100 milliliters. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and county health departments' environmental personnel make sure all public swimming areas are free of fecal coliform pollution.

BURGIN - Herrington Lake Conservation League not only cares about how the water looks, but how it tastes. HLCL, which is in its fifth year, still is trying to keep the lake looking good, but also is working with Third Rock Consultants of Lexington and the Kentucky Division of Water to test the lake water and three of its major tributaries. The water quality of Clark's Run, Hanging Fork, Dix River and Herrington Lake will be determined by testing for nutrients, sediments, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll A, bacteria and biological oxygen demand.

The Nicholasville City Commission gave Mayor Russ Meyer the go-ahead to sign a memorandum of agreement to apply for the Federal 319 Grant. If awarded, the grant will enable Nicholasville to move forward on its watershed plan and Lake Mingo best management practices implementation. Gary Goldey, public works superintendent for Nicholasville, said the grant will provide much needed funding for the project. "It will specifically be used for run-off water quality that comes into the drainage basin of Town Branch," he said.

The Lincoln County Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Heritage RC & D Council, Kentucky Division of Water, Kentucky Division of Conservation, Cumberland Environment Group, LLC, and Peyton Creek Watershed Oversight Committee will sponsor "Peyton Creek Watershed Field Day" showcasing cattle handling facilities and addressing nutrient management, conservation practices, water quality monitoring, and nonpoint source...

The Strodes Creek Conservancy has developed a watershed-based plan for the Hancock Creek watershed and will showcase the plan during roundtable discussions at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service. The conservancy is seeking feedback from the general public. Historically, efforts to improve water quality have been implemented on a piecemeal basis and did not examine watersheds as a whole, often creating situations where funds were used without planning.

The Dix River Watershed Council has received its long-awaited watershed plans for Clarks Run and Hanging Fork. Third Rock Consultants recently completed the comprehensive planning documents and the council has submitted them to the Kentucky Division of Water. The report summarizes the water quality for these watersheds and presents very specific management recommendations for their protection and improvement. In order to carry these recommendations and enable continued progress in the overall Dix River watershed, the council needs sustained, broad engagement from the council members and local leaders.

Dear Editor, The title of an article published last week in The Advocate-Messenger and Stanford's Interior-Journal warned residents to keep the kids and pets out of Hanging Fork creek, which runs through Lincoln and Boyle counties into the Dix River. This alarmist language is not the type of publicity that Hanging Fork needs. The creek is not "dead" or dangerous. However, its fisheries and water quality do appear to be declining. As the article correctly stated, rehabilitating the creek is the goal of an intensive monitoring and planning effort being led by the Kentucky Division of Water and Third Rock Consultants and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Hanging Fork needs your love, not your avoidance Dear Editor The title of an article published last week in Danville's Advocate-Messenger and Stanford's Interior-Journal warned residents to keep the kids and pets out of Hanging Fork creek, which runs through Lincoln and Boyle Counties into the Dix River. This alarmist language is not the type of publicity that Hanging Fork needs. The creek is not "dead" or dangerous. However, its fisheries and water quality do appear to be declining.

Clarks Run Environmental and Education Corp., otherwise known as CREEC, is hosting an open house and town meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the United Way Building on North Third Street. Along with door prizes and refreshments, the event will focus on protecting Clarks Run Creek and understanding important issues such as water quality. Guest speakers include Malissa McAlister, a University of Kentucky water quality specialist; Andrea Zimmer of the federal Environmental Protection Agency; and Lee Colten of Kentucky Division of Water.

Dear Editor: Many area residents may not be aware of crossing the path of Clark's Run, the local creek, when driving through Boyle County. But, over the past 20-plus years, the waterway has been the focus of various groups interested in improving the creek and making it a more appreciated asset for the county. This 12-mile-long waterway meanders in a northeasterly direction from Alum Springs to Herrington Lake, draining most of the eastern half of the county. The Kentucky Division of Water has studied Clark's Run for several years as part of its routine water quality sampling effort.

HUSTONVILLE - About 15 years after the EPA first designated western Lincoln County an “impaired watershed,” officials hope they're close to funding the first step of a solution to the severe water quality issues that have plagued the Dix River area. “The majority of the problem is human waste that's in our creeks,” Hustonville Mayor David Peyton said at a city council meeting in March. “Just downstream from Hustonville, the count is almost the same as the sewer pipes going into the Danville water treatment plant.

HUSTONVILLE - About 15 years after the EPA first designated western Lincoln County an "impaired watershed," officials hope they're close to funding the first step of a solution to the severe water quality issues that have plagued the Dix River area. "The majority of the problem is human waste that's in our creeks," Hustonville Mayor David Peyton said at a city council meeting in March. "Just downstream from Hustonville, the count is almost the same as the sewer pipes going into the Danville water treatment plant.

STANFORD - Stanford City Council members voted 5-0 Tuesday evening to move forward with a plan to increase water rates by 22 percent and sewer rates by 4 percent. If approved on a second reading, Stanford residents would see their minimum monthly water bills rise from $10.03 to $12.24 and their sewer bills go from $10.05 to $10.45 - a total minimum increase of $2.61 per month. The increases were made necessary in large part because of the waterline upgrade project in the works along Danville Avenue, Stanford Water Commission Chairman Jack Withrow said.

The conflict over the Westgate subdivision has made it to a federal courthouse with the filing of a lawsuit by R. J. Corman Real Estate alleging the city of Nicholasville has violated the federal “Clean Water Act” in allowing storm water discharge from the development to enter Jessamine Creek. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 30 in U.S. District Court, alleges that the city failed to comply with mandatory application procedures in approving the building permits for the development, and that the design plans approved fail to meet requirements set forth in the city's storm water ordinance.

HUSTONVILLE - Efforts are moving forward to bring sewer service to the U.S. 127 corridor south of Junction City. By providing sewer to homes in and near the Moreland and Hustonville communities, water quality in the Dix River watershed will hopefully be greatly improved, said Bill Payne with the Lincoln County Sanitation District. Payne told Hustonville City Council members last week that officials have been working for more than a decade to try and improve water quality in the area.

I heard over the Frankfort grapevine that the General Assembly, or some of those fat-cat Democrats, want to pass a law of taxing restaurants in order for someone or other to have a better quality of life. Well, I sure do need some improvement for myself, like a better automobile or more expensive house or a new wardrobe. Will it improve the water quality we folks in Junction receive from Danville? Who will receive a better quality of life if the three-cent tax is made or passed into life?

As we move closer to cold weather, it is a good time to think about strategies for winter feeding of livestock, since it is a necessary part of nearly all operations. Choosing the right place for winter feeding can improve production and reduce threats to nearby water resources. A poorly chosen site for winter feeding can have negative impacts on soil and water quality. Dr. Steve Higgins, director of environmental compliance at the University of Kentucky, has offered some suggestions for managing winter feeding areas with water quality in mind.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is seeking public comment until Jan. 2, 2012, on a draft report addressing bacteria impairment in nine stream segments and two springs within the South Elkhorn Creek watershed located in the Kentucky River Basin. The Clean Water Act requires each state to periodically identify specific waters where designated uses are not being met and water quality impairments exist. The state is also required to prioritize the list of impaired waters, calculate a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

As we move closer to cold weather, it is a good time to think about strategies for winter feeding of livestock, since it is a necessary part of nearly all operations. Choosing the right place for winter feeding can improve production and reduce threats to nearby water resources. A poorly chosen site for winter feeding can have negative impacts on soil and water quality.  A significant amount of pollution can occur if winter feeding is conducted around streams, water bodies or other environmentally sensitive areas such as flood plains and creek bottoms.

The Winchester Board of Commissioners toured the Town Branch Restoration Project in the Strodes Creek watershed last winter and saw its beginnings. On Friday, members of the commission got a firsthand look at the progress and could see the end in site. Eric Dawalt, project manager of Ridgewater LLC, which is working with EcoGro Inc. to design and perform the project, led the almost three-hour tour through different parts of the stream to demonstrate the project's progress since its September 2010 beginnings.