Da Ford

[paddledog]

I have noticed that Fishers Ford has maintained an unusually high level this summer.
Looking at historical levels, it is almost a foot over "normal".

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The deltas are historical averages.
The only possible explanation I have is the West side wastewater treatment facility came
online this summer. I have wondered where the outflow from the facility was being discharged.
Does anyone else know about this,
By the way, Da Ford at 500 CFS is an excellent playwave.

[Cowper]

Have you (or others) confirmed in person that it really is that much higher?

Every once in awhile, a gage will get off-calibration, OR, USGS will change the "zero" point from which the gage is referenced. This happened on the gage that Fish uses to reference Rattlesnake Creek, for example; that's why it showed "low but floatable" for months until Fish was able to update his reference points.

In the past, I've also seen "step changes" from things like a flood moving a gravel bar (changed pool level at the gage), and once, we saw the Big Piney gage go up about 6" in a few hours on a dry summer day because locals built a 6" high rock dam at the end of Long Pool.

Just curious...

[paddledog]

It is indeed above the average.
Gauge seems accurate.

[cyberpapa]

I think the guage is probably accurate. There have been some recent reports of people playing at Fisher Ford so the water does seem to be there. I think it is most likely the amount of rain that has fallen in this part of the state. I checked the flow for the Kings River (also in the northern part of the state). The flow measured in CFS is also much higher than the historical average. Interesting thought that the west side treatment plant could be involved. Although this might account for part of the increase, Fayetteville was already routing part of their treated sewage into the Illinois River. The east side plant split the flow both into White River and Illlinois River tributaries. Cal

[marmoss]

I have wondered where the outflow from the facility was being discharged.
Does anyone else know about this,

West Side POTW discharges to Goose Creek then to the Illinois R.

Coordinates of Outfall 001:

Lat: 36 deg 03' 41"
Long: 94 deg 14' 13"

m

[Trismegistus]

Rainfall and King's River don't seem to fully explain this phenomenon -- so I'm putting my money on Paddledog's supposition. Moreover all of Springdale's sewage affluent is also dumped into Spring Creek (tributary of Illinois) -- like some 12 million gallons per day. When you collectively take all the communities in the area that use the Illinois River to discharge their affluent -- ultimately every new subdivision means more groundwater water that is dumped into the Illinois -- all that growth and progress means more days to play the wave. Moreover in the industry there is a general rule that the solution to pollution is dilution -- so perhaps there is also a tendency to increase affluent discharge as a way to dilute out the phosphates entering into the stream from chicken manure runoff. Just a perhaps.

[cyberpapa]

Rain or effluent?
Somebody check my math.
Let's see what an increase of 50,000 people would add to the cubic feet/sec of a river that all the effluent runs into.
50,000X80gal per person per day = 4,000,000 gallons/day
How many cubic feet of water would that be?
1gallon = 0.134 cubic feet
Therefore 4,000,000 gallons/day= 536,000 cubic feet per day
We measure our river flow in cubic feet/sec
That means 24 hours x 60= 1440 minutes in a day
1440 minutes x 60= 86,400 sec in a day
Take your 536,000 cubic feet and divide by the sec in a day 86,400 =
An increase in river flow of 6.2 gallons/sec
It's the rain!!!!!! that has made the big difference in river flow. Cal
Remember, there are only 3 kinds of people in the word. Those who get math and those that don't. Somebody check my math.

[Trismegistus]

Yes but...

I don't question the math but looking at the recent gauge for Illinois Riversouth of Siloam Springs -- well I've just never seen any rain that could yield this type pattern -- a daily 100cfs surge in the discharge that appears independent of the local rainfall. This surge has to be "man made".

But yes I agree that sewage affluent is drawfed by any contribution made by rain -- nevertheless, there's certainly enough affluent being released from the plant in Springdale to float a boat -- in fact one could make a nice playwave just outside of the discharge culvert if they were so inclined. And I assume Fayetteville and other local communities contribute their fair share as well -- collectively the peak discharges into the Illinois must be in the tens of millions of gallons of affluent a day.

We have a similar but different phenomena here in Little Rock -- due to development and more impervious pavement, sidewalks and roofs -- our streams are very rain dependent -- they spike quickly after a rain. And since the channels have been dredged they release the water equally as fast. Less dependent on groundwater to be recharged -- the creeks run drier during summer but offer more paddling opportunites than ever following a cloud burst. Perhaps it would even be nice if Little Rock dumped their sewage affluent into a smaller first or second order stream rather than the Arkansas river in order to provide us more paddling opportunities.

[Lifejacket]

Rain or effluent?
Somebody check my math.

Take your 536,000 cubic feet and divide by the sec in a day 86,400 =
An increase in river flow of 6.2 gallons/sec
math.

Should read: An increase in river flow of 6.2 cfs not gallons/sec.

[Trismegistus]

Ahh there is yet another among us who is good with math....

Also noticed that all the local municipalties -- Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Siloam Springs -- are using the Illinois River to dischage their wastewater. Even the East Side plant appears to dump most of its affluent into the Illinois rather than into Beaver Lake.

Historically most of these communities acquired their municipal drinking water via surface springs -- the area is well endowed with springs. Today many of the springs exhibit far less flow, many are now even dry -- as the ground water has been depleted. Thus you might expect that over time the trend would be towards less water, not more (and this year doesn't appear to be an exception but rather a continuation of an established trend). The cities have now all drilled wells or call upon local reservoirs for their municipal water -- water that is ultimately discharged into the Illinois River. Thus over time the Illinois is recharged increasingly more so via sewage affluents and less and less so by springs. What bearing this has on the overall annual median discharge has really ever been studied -- at least to my knowledge.

Oh Stephanie -- where are you? Can you shine any light on this discussion?

[scott yarbrough]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread as to why the water levels are higher this year as opposed to past years. However I cannot read this thread without the blaring irony between these two states.

Springdale, Fayetteville, Bentonville and Rogers are pumping their waste water west into the Illinois purposely to spare Arkansas and the White River from their waste.(thank you) Solution to pollution is dillution and is even better if it first goes to Oklahoma and is further diluted by Lake Tenkiller before it reenters the state by the Arkansas.(which is not really that much of a recreational river)

Oklahoma on the downhill side has no real say in the matter and unfortantely has dammed up all of their other free flowing navigable streams.(that I am aware of that have outfitters for renters) So the Illinois River which is featured in the OK tourism ads seems to be benefitting during the hot dry summers from all of the added flushes. Am I the only one that finds this to be really ironic?(sorry Red Dirt Chapter)

[paddledog]

Properly treated, waste water is fine to use for recreation.
The only time I fear outflow is during flood stage when the plant is overwhelmed
and releases untreated waste.
The water at the Ford has improved 10 fold since Ok. sued the major chicken
farmers in Ar.
In the summer, 6-8 years ago, you couldn't get near the river due to the smell.
If you persevered and managed to get in the water it would burn your eyes and
give you an ear infection every time.
All of this was due to pure chicken crap sprayed directly on to the surrounding fields
with very little concern for the run off. The Ammonia was over powering.
Now it has no smell and is quite pleasant to be in and around.
And if it keeps this 4 foot level it is a great learning wave.

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Did you notice the 12 foot reading on the graph?
I have been there once when it was at about that level.
It was many years ago but I remember it well.
The rock "island" was showing about a foot of rock.
The river straightens out completely, and there is a standing 6-8 foot tall wave river wide.
Absolutely smooth and great to surf.

[paddledog]

I just took another look at the graph.
This is the last 7 days.

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Unusual flow pattern for "rainfall"
Viva da Ford. Flush twice.

[Steph]

Tris... I'm actually doing my work, but have been following along. One thing I know from multiple tours of the Fayetteville water treatment plant, they don't purposefully release untreated water, but after massive rainfalls they sometimes have overflows. Also a bit of ribbing "dirty" water isn't affluent unless it is flowing copiously, but it is always effluent - Its kind of like effect and affect, we often get the wrong letter in front of a word. And by the way I'm a terrible speller.

[Half Ton]

The water at the Ford has improved 10 fold since Ok. sued the major chicken
farmers in Ar.
In the summer, 6-8 years ago, you couldn't get near the river due to the smell.
If you persevered and managed to get in the water it would burn your eyes and
give you an ear infection every time.
All of this was due to pure chicken crap sprayed directly on to the surrounding fields
with very little concern for the run off.

The OK attorney General sued major chicken companies not farmers. The farmers have mostly always followed scientific recommendations for fertilizing. Recommendations used to be based on Nitrogen. When Phosphorus was determined to be the limiting Nutrient for algae growth in the Illinois back in the 80's the Scenic River commision sued fayetteville for wanting to divert more waste water effluent to the illinois.

Scientific recommendations changed to a Phosphorus application limit and Nutrient Management Plans are regulatory requirement if any farmer in the Ill. River Watershed wants to Fertilize with Chicken Litter. Their are 1183 Nutrient Management Plans currently in Washington County. that is like 95 % or more of farmers.

Thanks for saying the water has improved! I spend a lot of my time working directly with those farmers to better educate them and make them aware of ways to produce our food while dramatically lessening negative impacts on water quality. Farmers in Benton and Washington Counties are the leaders in the state due to the fact that the lawsuit has forced the hand of science and scientific recommendations.

Farmers love the land, the water, their neighbors, and their grandkids. They want their grandkids to have the same good water resources for enjoyment that we all have had.

Farmers listen to the regs and do their part to improve water quality. I am proud of them for their efforts. I am also proud that you declared the water has improved. BTW, it really has improved as judged by science also - in terms of nutrient and sediment reductions.

The real issue with Illinois river water quality though....... is all of the other stuff that;s in the water like Pharmacy drugs, antifreeze, oil, gasoline, aromatic compounds, deoderant, caffiene, nicotine, and on and on. None of these other things have recieved attention from the lawsuit, therefore they have not been reduced and have only increased.

If OK really wanted sound water quality in the river the attorney general would want all stakeholders who live in the watershed (businesses, Households, Individuals, Municipalities, recreators,
Farmers, Developers, and so on) to be engaged in doing their part to improve water quality. We all live in a watershed and we all have in impact on water quality good or bad.