Water pollution, runoff, etc.

[MagikSmallie]

As a fisherman and/or boater it is very difficult for individuals to assess water quality based upon just looks. The only way to really tell is with water sampling and testing to see what levels of fecal matter, heavy metals, Phosphorus, nitrogen, etc, etc. exist. It is true there is a level of pollution in nearly all streams in KY, meaning I wouldn't drink a cup full of water out of any stream without purification. I don't believe it to be an issue to eat meals of fish from the Ohio River, just follow the set guidelines. The number one threat to water quality in my opinion is raw sewage from straight pipes and or municipal sewer overflows, Louisville suffers from the latter. Urban run-off is another major contributor especially downstream from Lexington and Louisville. In short most all water sources except some springs are probably polluted to some degree. Just follow basic local guidelines about fish consumption and you shouldn't have any issues.

[smashdn]

Non-point source pollution is now the number one source of water pollution. Industrial and municipal outfalls are highly regulated and highly monitored. Treated wastewater is nearly always cleaner than the receiving waterbody and often times is cleaner than drinking water. The caveat is if/when Louisville has a failure or overflow and dumps raw into the river.

You are correct to avoid contact with certain waterbodies after storm events. This is especially the case after long dry spells as the contaminants just build up on the ground waiting to be washed into a drain or ditch.

Theoretically all MWWTP would be combined systems treating both sanitary and storm sewar waters. Unfortunately the cost and land requirment to build systems that large are not feasible for small municipalities (as many in KY are). So you end up with only sanitary sewage being treated in old sytems that at times are overwhelmed by inflow from storm events entering cracked pipes and drains.

POTW's are largely biologically treated so chemical loading just passes on through.

[timmbur22]

I fished the South Fork of Elkhorn Creek near Midway, Ky Sunday and was APALLED at the amount of JUNK I saw in the water. I'm talking everything from tires, to stoves to children's toys. It sickens me to think people would use this creek as a dump in this day and time, but there it is.

Just had to vent a little about this. Love to hear your feedback.

[king fisher]

http://www.orsanco.org/river-sweep

Check out this website, I wish I could help, yet I will be out of town this weekend.

[roadrunner]

The water systems are much much cleaner now than they were 30 years ago. we now have blue cats saugers small mouths and spotted bass in the Wabash River they could and did not live in this river 30 years ago. They started showing up in small numbers and now we have good populations of these fish.

[ConfederateKnowHow]

My cousin used to work for the water company here in Shelby Co. Going to meetings and conventions he learned (if I recall correctly) that Louisville is one of the top ranked cities for water quality in the United stats.

[Moveon]

USEPA has said in the past that 50% of all ground water is polluted to some degree. Remember those nitrate fertilizers that are spayed on the farmland every years soaks into the ground and enters the aquifers eventually. So many of the underground water springs are contaminated as well.

That's why I don't drink natural spring water or won't buy bottled water from the store unless it's PURIFIED by filtration. I won't buy natural spring water that's bottled. I'd just as soon drink tap water as spring water.

Even the Mountain Streams can contain Nitrates as Nitrogen Oxides in the form of Air Pollution can rain down and contaminate these pure mountain streams. Sulfates fall from the sky as well. And don't forget the heavy metals that fall out of the sky and contaminate our streams and land. Mercury is one such metal that can build up in the Food Chain over time.

USEPA is proposing new regulations called MAC something that are intended to control the heavy metals that flow out of the coal burning power plant's smoke stacks. These regulations are designed to protect the human population from these heavy metals. Heavy Metals like Mercury are well known for their toxic effects.

Ever heard the phrase "mad as a hatter"? Well, that comes from the people who used mercury in solution while making the hats . The mercury got into their nervous system and made them go crazy. Mercury is a neuro-toxin and can damage the brain as well as do other damage to the nerves. Lead is another heavy metal that can do the same thing.

These new Mac regulations are needed to keep these dangerous heavy metals out of the environment.
This is something that all fishermen should be made aware of. We should all want to protect our waters from contaminates.

As a long time fisherman, I've been concerned with the quality of my fishing waters and the quality of the fish that come out of those waters.
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As a fisherman and/or boater it is very difficult for individuals to assess water quality based upon just looks. The only way to really tell is with water sampling and testing to see what levels of fecal matter, heavy metals, Phosphorus, nitrogen, etc, etc. exist. It is true there is a level of pollution in nearly all streams in KY, meaning I wouldn't drink a cup full of water out of any stream without purification. I don't believe it to be an issue to eat meals of fish from the Ohio River, just follow the set guidelines. The number one threat to water quality in my opinion is raw sewage from straight pipes and or municipal sewer overflows, Louisville suffers from the latter. Urban run-off is another major contributor especially downstream from Lexington and Louisville. In short most all water sources except some springs are probably polluted to some degree. Just follow basic local guidelines about fish consumption and you shouldn't have any issues.

[MagikSmallie]

Mercury as a metal can be hazardous but the actual degree that mercury from power plants is affecting streams and water supplies is actually very low: this comes from the EPA:

"Mercury is a toxic, persistent pollutant that accumulates in the food chain. Mercury in the air is a global problem. While fossil fuel-fired power plants are the largest remaining source of human-generated mercury emissions in the United States, they contribute only a small amount (about 1 percent) of total annual mercury emissions worldwide. "

http://www.epa.gov/CAMR/factsheetfin.html