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Pollution Solution Scenarios

October, 2003

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Write Paul Ekberg

REPUBLICAN RIVER STORY

          As Karen quickly surveyed the newspaper clippings in front of her, her mind tallied the facts:  "Medical Insurance Claims on the Rise," "Hospital Bills Soar,"  "Something Fishy at Norton Dam," "Pelicans Found Dead on the Banks of Harlan County Dam,"  "High Death Rates Among Livestock Still Unexplained."  Within the past few years some very strange occurrences had begun to invade the Republican Valley watershed.  Karen had grown up in McCook and was attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  When the articles had become closer to her hometown, her interest was peaked and decided to visit McCook.  When she reached home, she discovered that her family and friends weren't very concerned about the happenings that were occurring downstream.  Nothing out of the ordinary had happened in McCook or in any of the farms around town.   Yet, as Karen did some investigating of her own, she found other results:  Many farmers complained of a strange odor emanating from their wells and a few animals were being treated for unusual illnesses.  However, the water had been tested for nitrates and the results showed no significant increase, thus leading to the citizens lack of concern. 

           Karen decided the best place to find out about the local news was at the Country Kitchen cafe downtown.  As she entered, she was greeted by her old friends and was immediately flooded by the latest gossip.  The primary topics were the accusations being made by the environmentalists against the farmers for the illnesses among the animals and the death of the birds along the Prairie Dog Creek.  After a brief, vehement rebuttal of this theory and the impossibility of such a situation, the discussion turned to other topics around the Norton Dam.   As the fishermen began to discuss what was biting at the dam, Carl, the "local fishing expert" at the McCook Junior High School, which was mainly due to his age, mentioned that complaints about the unusual odor of the fish and the lack of bait fish were being told by many.  Carl went on to comment on how "clean" the water has been lately considering the usual green scum that fills the water when the lake "turns over."

          Rumors have been surfacing concerning the test wells being drilled by the Kansas and Nebraska Departments of Health.  Locals have said most of the wells are being drilled in the Middle Republican River Watershed area.  Karen decided a further investigation might prove interesting.  Let’s help her decide which test wells to drill and assist in determining the ppb of the contaminate.