Hopes for testing a stream advisory site south of Emporia are now on hold as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the city of Emporia line up testing facilities.
Emporia Public Works Director Dean Grant says KDHE wants a specific method used to count E. coli for the stream advisory affecting a tributary of Coal Creek, and most labs use a different method that yields probable numbers. This means testing of the site south of Road 107 and east of Road M may not be tested for several days.
Grant says KDHE received an odor complaint, which led to an investigation and — eventually — the stream advisory. At issue isn’t the storage itself. Grant says the main concern was the presence of some biosolid in the stream after recent rainfall and some that was too close to the stream.
The amount of biosolid from Emporia’s Waste Water Treatment Plant has not been divulged.
Residents will be advised of testing and cleanup efforts. KDHE will lift the advisory as soon as samples show no health risk.
