PARIS, Ky. - A study of the Licking River and its tributaries found high levels of bacteria from animal and human waste. Streams in Boone and Pendleton counties were among those cited in the study. Some samples had bacteria levels more than 100 times above the standard considered safe for swimming.
"We knew (the bacteria levels) were bad. But they're worse than we thought," said Barry Tonning, of Mount Sterling, one of about 40 people at the Licking River Watershed Watch conference at Bourbon County Middle School on Saturday.
The waters are the drinking supply for about 272,000 eastern and northeastern Kentuckians.
The Licking River Watershed Watch is a joint effort by volunteers and state agencies and is organized by the state Division of Water. Mr. Tonning is a member of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, one of several state organizations participating in the river watch.
In July, volunteers in 22 counties collected samples of untreated water from the river basin.
The samples showed that the worst problem is fecal coliform, a bacteria found in human and animal waste that is associated with waterborne diseases such as typhoid fever, hepatitis A and viral and bacterial gastroenteritis. About 75 percent of the samples contained fecal coliform levels higher than the standard considered safe for swimming.
The highest bacteria level was found in Harrison County, where a water sample contained 100,000 colonies of fecal coliform per 100 milliliters of water.
Water must have fewer than 200 colonies per 100 milliliters to be considered safe for swimming.
Other samples with excessive levels were taken in the South Fork of the river in Pendleton County and in creeks in Bracken, Boone and Nicholas counties.
Officials said the bacteria most likely are coming from several sources, such as sanitary sewer overflows, illegal straight pipes that send wastewater into streams and eroded or cleared creek banks that allow cattle manure and other waste to wash into the waterway. Attendees of Saturday's conference began developing an action plan. All agreed they wanted more testing and more information on areas surrounding the places where the samples were taken.
Other ideas included getting elected officials involved; recruiting more volunteers; seeking additional help from local, state and national conservation groups; and educating the public about the health and environment risks of polluted water.
"While we may not have the solution today, we have taken an important step," said Hank Graddy, director of the Licking River project. "There are some problems. They don't need to be blown out of proportion. They need to be better understood. We are very serious about protecting our water supply."
The river watch is part of a five-year study of Kentucky's rivers.
