Unknown Contamination Source for Sections of Nolan Creek

Twenty years after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality identified a section of the 29-mile Nolan Creek as “impaired” by bacteria and nutrients, sections of the creek remain contaminated — and the source hasn’t been identified

The first area designated as impaired was a section of South Nolan Creek. It was joined, more than 15 years later, by a section of Little Nolan Creek.

The state environmental commission sends its reports relating to the creek to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but depends on cities and groups such as the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research to gather data.

Anne McFarland, a senior research scientist for the institute, said the environmental commission has had one or two stations in the Nolan Creek watershed since the 1970s. The Brazos River Authority has also conducted monitoring within the watershed, she said.

After Nolan Creek was listed as impaired for bacteria, McFarland said, Killeen partnered with the institute to “proactively take the lead” on a Clean Water Act project in 2006.

“This project included monthly monitoring, October 2006 through February 2008, at nine stations focusing on portions of the watershed within the Killeen city limits,” McFarland said.

In 2012, McFarland’s group acquired a grant to begin a project and prepare a report evaluating the conditions in the Nolan Creek watershed.

The goals of the study, McFarland said, are to develop a data inventory and provide a baseline to better assess impairment concerns in the future.

“What we wanted to do was expand down to Belton and see if there were problems throughout the creek or just in certain areas,” she said.

The most recent monitoring report, published in September, confirmed bacteria impairments in South Nolan Creek and Little Nolan Creek.

According to the report, the “monitoring conducted from May 2013 through June 2015 continued to show elevated concentrations of bacteria all along Nolan Creek/South Nolan Creek from its crossing at Twin Creek Drive in Killeen to the most downstream sampling station in Yettie Polk Park in Belton.”

The study also noted elevated concentrations of E. coli along Long Branch and Little Nolan Creek, but found no issues in the creek’s headwaters in the western most portion toward Fort Hood.

Nolan Creek, some of which is used for recreation and floodwater drainage, flows downstream to Harker Heights and Nolanville and eventually drains into the Leon River. The Leon River eventually flows to the Brazos River basin.

Source: k dhnews

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