E. Coli Found In Ditch

At one point of the Shatto/Cattell drain, the level of E. Coli measured 29,000 colonies per hundred milliliters.

At 235 colonies of E. Coli per hundred milliliters, public beaches are usually closed. That's based on full-body contact.

"It's considered unsafe for swimming" at that level, said Roseann Hirschinger, environmental scientist with the survey section office of water management of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The drain is five miles long and extends from the intersection of CRs 500S and 800W to the Tippecanoe River, according to the Kosciusko County Surveyor's Office. The drain is both below ground and open ditch. The open ditch part of the drain begins just east of CR 775W and a half-mile north of Ind. 25 and proceeds northwest.

Hirschinger said E. Coli is "a bacteria that is an indicator of fecal contamination by warm-blooded animals." She said it is "not dangerous in itself," but high numbers may indicate the presence of other disease-carrying water-borne organisms - such as typhoid, hepatitis or viruses that can be passed through fecal material.

Under the Clean Water Act, E. Coli levels in water must be below standards, but "it's an impossible goal virtually because of all the agricultural land in (the state)," Hirschinger said.

The further downstream of the drain, toward Mentone, the higher the level of E. Coli is, according to figures taken by the Kosciusko County Health Department.

Tara E. Still, environmental/communicable disease specialist with the Kosciusko County Health Department, said the department originally got involved when the Indiana Department of Natural Resources received a complaint about the drain. Visual observation and bacteria tests were then conducted earlier this year.

"We did find high numbers their office is pursuing," said Still. IDNR now has those numbers and is reportedly investigating the drain.

Robert M. Foltz, who lives near the drain, asked Still to retest the drain. In June and August, Still found levels ranging from as low as 10 colonies per hundred milliliter to as high as 1,600; 3,200 and 3,600 colonies per hundred milliliter less than two miles apart.

"I am finding high numbers," said Still, "but I haven't found out exactly where they're at."

Hirschinger said, "If I had a ditch where we had (levels of) 1,600 consistently, I'd be looking for a septic tank discharge." She said a septic tank could be illegally attached to a field tile, a tank itself could be broken or a septic tank could have failed, causing the water to come to the surface and then a wash-off occurs.

There are two possibilities for the high numbers being in one area more than the other, Still said. The bacteria could be hitting their "growth period" in the high-level area, or the area could be where a large volume of E. Coli is being released.

If the cause is due to residential use, Still said, she can have it corrected. If the cause is agricultural, she said, it's up to IDEM.

"We have theories but I don't like to comment on theories," said Still.

A number of problems could be causing the high number of E. Coli in the drain. She said she doesn't think it's just one polluter.

"Sometimes we don't always know where the bacteria is coming from," she said. It is likely more than one property owner that can be affecting the stream.

Still said the health department is trying to find the source and prevent further contamination. However, once E. Coli is in the water supply, all they can do it let it take its course. Anything else, she said, may just make the problem worse.

"We're not quite sure what's going on," she said. "We're still checking."

The problem, she said, is mostly an environmental degradation concern. Any effect on wells, she said, is remote because the problem is with surface water. Filter systems for wells also help eliminate bacteria. Since the drain's water does flow into the Tippecanoe River, however, "it can possibly have an impact" on the river's environment. There are many variables that will determine that, including the speed of water, rain dilution, sunlight and others.

The only way a person could be impacted by the high levels of E. Coli is if they were to get into the drain.

An arm of the Shatto/Cattell drain is the William Baker drain.

In June, Creighton Brothers' confined feeding permit to allow them to use two new egg-laying facilities was approved by the IDEM.

The site for the new facility is adjacent to the William Baker drain.

Creighton Brothers provided IDEM with approximately a half-dozen written plans beyond what was required. Some of those include putting in test wells and providing for insect control.

The chicken houses are near Creighton's existing operation on the west side of CR 950W, a half mile north of CR 200S.

The chicken houses are 100 feet wide and 570 feet long each and house up to 240,000 chickens each.

Around Christmas 1999, property owners adjacent to Creighton were notified of Creighton Brothers' desire to build the facilities and became concerned about the plans. The notification is required by law.

Several of the property owners opposed the plans, citing the potential for manure runoff into William Baker ditch from the new chicken houses.

IDEM delayed the permit approval, but said at the time the permit would probably be eventually approved.

On Feb. 25, hog manure spilled in the William Baker ditch near the Creighton Brothers operation but was not a threat to the environment, according to Kristin Whittington, IDEM director of the office of Ag Relations.

"The spill was on a cornfield, so there was no threat to anything," she said. It was a spill, but environmentally it was not an issue, she said.

Ron Truex, Creighton Brothers general manager, agreed. "As far as we know, with working with the DNR and IDEM, there was no environmental impact at all," he said.

The spill occurred at 1829 S. CR 950W, near Mentone.

According to Truex, a Hoffman Farms Manure Management worker was using a drag hose inspection system to apply hog manure to a field. Just like a typical garden hose, when the worker was finished, he unhooked the hose at the pumper and wound the hose up on the truck.

Approximately less than 15 gallons of manure that remained in the 50 to 60 feet of hose spilled out.

Because it spilled into snow and then it rained, "it looked like a lot of manure," said Truex.

Whittington said the spill was cleaned up immediately. An IDEM compliance inspector was on site right after the accidental spill occurred.

"The department takes actions on reports on spills that are out there. We did take action on the spill and Creighton Brothers have been involved," she said.

As for any fine, she said, they were held between IDEM and Creighton Brothers.