BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Boaters ignore warnings and navigate the Ohio River near Covington shoreline.
(Glenn Hartong photo)
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Warning to boaters planning to hit the Ohio River this weekend: High bacteria levels could make you sick, especially if you plan to water ski or splash around on personal watercraft.
Response from boaters: The health police are at it again.
This week, the Cincinnati Health Department reported that the Ohio River water quality index had reached 40, the sixth straight week the river has been deemed unhealthful for recreational use. But marina managers say people are ignoring the warnings because sunshine, moderate temperatures and decent river depths are combining to make this one of the nicest weekends of the summer for boating.
"These warnings always seem to come out during holidays or special events," said Terry Quinn, manager of the Rivertowne Marina on Kellogg Avenue. "A lot of people look at it as crying wolf."
Dr. Achal Garg, the health department toxicologist who compiles the water quality index, said boaters continue to ignore a real health risk.
"The index is so high, I certainly would not go out on the river this weekend," Dr. Garg said.
In fact, data from the health department show there hasn't been a "good" time to be on the river all season. Of the 12 weeks tested since May 5, seven have been unhealthful and five were classified as moderate health risks. However, three of the five moderate readings were 30, just a tick below the unhealthful classification.
In comparison, six of the same 12 weeks last year were unhealthful, four were moderate (with one 30 reading) and two were good.
The Ohio River's bacteria problem is caused primarily by combined sewer overflowsthat come from Cincinnati and other cities and towns upstream. Old sewer systems allow storm water and sewage waste to flow in the same pipes.
In these systems, heavy rains frequently send so much storm water through the pipes that sewage treatment plants can't keep up. By design, excess flow bypasses the plants, thus allowing raw sewage to reach the river untreated.
The Ohio River Water Quality Index tracks this problem by measuring the amount of fecal coliform bacteria in water samples collected weekly at five points along a 15-mile stretch.
Ingesting fecal coliform bacteria can make people sick, usually in minor ways such as diarrhea or skin infections. More importantly, public health officials said they consider high levels of the bacteria to be a signal that the river also could be carrying elevated levels of more serious disease-causing bacteria and viruses -- such as hepatitis.
Boaters either don't know about the water quality index, don't understand it or don't care.
"I don't think people in bigger boats pay any attention to it," said Denny Schalk, manager of the Four Seasons marina. "Whatever the reading is on Tuesday, boaters are still going to go out on the weekend."
Mr. Schalk and Mr. Quinn raised several criticisms about the index that may explain why boaters don't pay close attention to it. The tests are done weekly, but the river flows and changes constantly. If the sun is shining on a Saturday, boaters are more than willing to think that samples collected on a Tuesday are no longer relevant. But Dr. Garg said it's wiser to assume the river is contaminated every day when the test results run high for six straight weeks.
The health warning itself is vague. On unhealthful weeks, the health department news release states there is an "increased risk to the public health for infection and disease." It does not directly advise recreational users to stay off the river, even though that's what public health officials said is the safe thing to do.
Nobody seems to be getting sick. The river warnings would be taken much more seriously if a bunch of skiers one weekend wound up hospitalized with illnesses clearly traceable to river water. So far, that hasn't happened.
But a lack of reported illnesses can be misleading. The fact is public health experts can't easily tell how many people may or may not be getting sick. Tracing an individual illness back to a specific exposure -- be it something in water, air or food_ has always been tricky.
There are no standards on how high a public health risk has to be before the government feels compelled to warn people about it. The Cincinnati Health Department considers its river quality index a public service.
