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    Pete Anderson has been collecting water samples in the Blanco River and Cypress Creek for 25 years. PHOTO BY TOM GORDON

Testing the waterways for 25 years

For a quarter of a century Pete Anderson has grabbed his water bottle, pulled on his rubber boots and waded out into the Blanco River and Cypress Creek to collect water samples.

Pete and his buddies deliver their water samples to the lab at Texas State University who test to determine the level of E. coli. The information is recorded, printed in the Wimberley View and used by folks who swim or boat in these waterways.

The Wimberley Water Testing Project tests the water at 10 points — five on Cypress Creek and five on the Blanco. They also test at Jacob’s Well.

The levels of harmful E. coli vary from test to test and can spike if there’s a leaking septic tank in the area or a heavy rain has led to runoff that contains animal waste. Pete stresses that the group is looking for long-range trends, not weekly or monthly increases.

“When we have a heavy rain, there’s a runoff that will introduce certain elements that aren’t usually in the river,” says Pete. “We try to look at long-term conditions in the creek. We know certain events can cause an increase in our readings.”

Testing to resume

The testing has been suspended since the coronavirus “shelter at home” restrictions were implemented. The group hopes to resume testing this month.

According to the Mayo Clinic: “Human and animal feces may pollute ground and surface water (with E. coli), including streams, rivers, lakes, and water used to irrigate crops.”

The symptoms of E. coli poisoning, says the Mayo Clinic, include diarrhea, abdominal cramping and pain, nausea and vomiting.

Pete says the worst area for E. coli contamination is on Cypress Creek near the Square. Over the years, however, he has noted a general decline in the amounts of E. coli in the water as people have become more aware of the problem.

The collection process is pretty simple. The volunteers wade out into the water, dip down about an arm’s length and fill a 100 milliliter bottle (3.38 ounces) with water. They look for clear water with no floating contaminants on the surface. The results come back from Texas State a day or two later.

Temperatures rise

The group sees increases in E. coli when the temperature heats up and water flow decreases.

The readings vary widely. For example, on Nov. 4, 2019, there were just three colonies of E. coli per 100 milliliters of water at Jacob’s Well, but at Cypress Creek near the Square they found 1,300 colonies. A bacterial colony, as defined by Sciencing.com, is “a visible mass of microbial cells originating from one single cell.”

The Environmental Protection Agency standard for recreational use in fresh water is 126 colonies per 100 milliliters. A body of water is considered potentially harmful if it exceeds that standard.

Pete, who was a pilot for Delta Airlines for 35 years, retired to Wimberley in 1991. A friend asked him if he would like to help out with the area water testing. That was about 25 years ago.

He and his wife Rita live in Wimberley.

The work is mostly done by volunteers but the group does get annual grants from the Wimberley Community Civic Club and the Lion’s Club to help with expenses.

The volunteers and their assigned sampling stations are: David Baker (Jacob’s Well and Cypress Creek where it crosses Jacob’s Well Road); Pokey Rehmet (Cypress Creek at Woodcreek below the low-water bridge); Danny Jones (Cypress Creek just east of the northerly bridge on RR 12); Scott Johnson (Cypress Creek at Sabino Ranch); Phil Lebkuecher (Cypress Creek at west side of RR 12 bridge at the Square); Jim Kirkland (Blanco River Paradise Valley); Bob Stafford (Blanco River at low-water bridge just downstream of RR 12); Mike McCullough and Jim Thompson (confluence of Blanco River and Cypress Creek); Bob Reed and Pete Anderson (Blanco River at 7A Ranch); and Eddie Gumbert (Blanco River Rapids at River Meadow).

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054