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Chemical and physical tests were given to 112 streams and ditches in Kosciusko County.
The county health department performed the tests twice a year for two years. The tests are considered by the National Sanitation Foundation to be the most useful in determining stream water quality, according to the information released by the department.
"What we hope to do with the this information is take it to the Soil and Water Conservation Office and they'll take it to the farmers," Health Officer Dr. William Remington said Wednesday.
Each set of data is given quality values. A weight is added to derive the rating of the quality of the water for each site.
Dissolved oxygen is weighted .17, e coli is weighted .16, pH is weighted .11, BOD 5 is weighted .11, temperature change is weighted .10, total phosphate is weighted .10, nitrate is weighted .10, turbidity is weighted .08, and total solids are weighted .07.
The higher the water quality index, the better the stream or ditch. Excellent is considered 90 to 100 percent. Bad is 25 to 50 percent. Some bodies of water fell into either category.
Nelson Ditch to Eel River received the lowest percentage at 35. The ditch is located at CR 1300S.
Several water sources received a 98, the highest water quality given.
Meredith Ditch at CR 500S, Turkey Creek between lakes at Pickwick Road, Dillion Ditch to Wawasee at CR 1100N and two others were given a rating of 98.
"There are people interested in these numbers," Remington said.
Bob Weaver, KCHD administrator, said the results for such things as e coli were greater after a rainfall.
"We'd get a great influx of chemicals, bacteria, e coli, (etc.), after a rainfall."
Run-off and chemicals in the rain may be causes of the increase, he said.
KCHD said whenever there was a high level of chemicals or bacteria, they found the source of the problem and attempted to solve it. Sometimes, Weaver said, the answer wasn't clear.
The department will continue to test about 30 sites they found that need further testing.
In other business, Weaver said sewage systems cannot be put into new private residential lots if the soil is not native to the area. The Indiana State Department of Health Systems said it was not acceptable to do so under law. A system could be put in if the fill is less than 36 inches. More than 36 inches is not acceptable.
"It's a big issue. We are going to stick to the letter of the law," Remington said.
A system can be put in if the fill is 12 or 24 inches because the KCHD can dig below the first two feet of fill and put in a system. However, a system cannot be placed any deeper than 36 inches.
"There's no use for them to be mad at us because we can't do it, we shouldn't be doing it," board member Dr. Wyman Wilson said.
