[env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Public health warning about drinking water

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_fae8fd48-dc7e-11e7-be39-130103ed2c17.html
Public health warning about drinking water
   
   - Dec 8, 2017 Updated Dec 8, 2017
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The following news release is from Trinity County Environmental Health and Trinity County Public HealthILLEGAL MARIJUANA GROWS ON PUBLIC LANDS ARE POISONING TRINITY COUNTY’S DRINKING WATER12/8/2017 (Trinity County, CA)—Trinity County’s Environmental Health Director and Trinity County’s Public Health Officer are notifying the public about water quality concerns they have along the Trinity River and its tributaries.Illegal marijuana grows on public lands are of increasing concern.  According to recent study titled Sciencewith Solutions: Documentation, Reclamation and Monitoring of the Ecological Impacts of Marijuana Cultivation on Endangered Species (IERC 2017)1, multiple sites evaluated in Trinity County have tested positive for California banned pesticides and residuals of those pesticides spanning over several years, and they found that even sites that are several years old continue to contaminate the soil and leach chemicals into the surrounding area.Illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands is often not cleaned up or remediated due to lack of funding, so many of these sites remain and still have the potential to contaminate Trinity County’s drinking water, the wildlife, the aquatic life, and the vegetation. These illegal grow sites are found to be wide spread throughout the South Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries, the North Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries, and throughout publically owned land in Trinity County (A list of known areas are listed below). It’s unlikely that current testing being done, even in public water systems, is  capable of finding pesticides from these grows in the drinking water, and treatment to remove pesticides depends on the pesticide that’s contaminating the stream. Variations of hot/cold weather, and wet/dry weather can determine whether or not a stream is actively being contaminated.One of the major pesticides being found in these grow sites is a US banned pesticide by the name of Carbofuran and because of the tendency of these illegal growers to use creek beds and proximate areas to cultivate, we have decided to warn the public about the potential contaminates polluting surface waters.Carbofuran is a toxic pesticide of the carbamate class of pesticides and the over-riding concern is that most of Trinity County’s drinking water sources could be impacted due to the fact that most large water systems are water diversions of the Trinity River. We will continue to share more information as we receive it. Here are some additional resources/information links:For testing of your water source at any given point in time (may not give an accurate representation throughout the year due to activity and environment)—North Coast Labs in Arcata, CA: EPA 531.1 -  N-methyl-carbamoyl oximes and carbamates includes testing for Carbofuran and EPA 507 - Nitrogen-Phosphorous Containing Pesticides includes Thiobencarb).The bottom line, and the point we wish to emphasize, is that if you drink water down-stream from an illegal grow site you need to treat your drinking water out of an abundance of caution. How do you treat water before drinking? Many of the pesticides of concern can be treated with a Granular Activated Carbon filter and non-ionic polymeric resin filters. Individuals can Google NSF 42, 53, and 401 point-of-use or point-of-entry filters, or they can call our office at 623-1459 for more information.Here's the list of affected Trinity County waterways:Bar CreekBarker CreekBaxter GulchBear CreekBear GulchBell CreekBierce CreekBig Bar CreekBig CanyonBig CreekBig Creek (Denny)Big Creek (Hyampom)Big French CreekBlack Rock CreekBrock GulchBrowns CanyonBrowns CreekCanadian CreekCave CreekChina CreekClawton GulchClear GulchCold Spring’s CreekConner CreekConrad GulchCopper CreekCorral CreekDark Can CreekDeadwood CreekDigger Pine FlatDobbins GulchDon Juan CreekDrinkwater GulchDuncan CreekDutch CreekDutton CreekE. Branch E. Fork N. Fork TrinityE. Fork Browns CreekE. Fork S. Fork TrinityEagle CreekGold CreekGrassy Flat CreekHastings CreekHawkins CreekHayfork CreekHayshed CreekHeadwaters Grouse CreekHeadwaters N. Fork EelIndian CreekItalian CreekJim Jam CreekJims CreekKekawaka CreekKerlin CreekKingsbury GulchLine GulchLittle Brown’s CreekLittle CreekLittle French CreekLower Big French CreekLower Devil’s CanyonLower Eltapom CreekLower Grass Valley CreekLower Indian CreekLower Mumbo CreekLower Rattlesnake CreekLower Tule CreekMcAllister CreekMcClellan PlaceMcDonald RiverMiddle Eltapom CreekMill CreekMiner’s CreekMonroe CreekN. Dobbyn CreekNaufus CreekNorth Fork GulchNorth Fork Trinity RiverOlsen CreekPanther CreekPelletreau CreekPlummer CreekPost CreekPrince CreekProspect CreekQuinby CreekRed Lassic CreekRich GulchRipstein GulchRush CreekSalt CreekSalt Creek (Eel tributary)Shell Mountain CreekSmokey CreekSouth Fork Trinity RiverSulfur Grade CreekThurston GulchTom Lang GulchTreloar CreekUpper Big Creek (HYK)Upper Big French CreekUpper Corral CreekUpper Trinity RiverUpper Tule CreekW. Fork Van DuzenW. Hayfork CreekWilson CreekYellow Jacket CreekArticle referenced above:Gabriel, M.W.(1), G.M., Wengert(1), J.M., Higley(2), D.L. Clifford(3), R.H., Poppenga(4),L.W. Woods(4), S. McMillian(3), S. Torres(3), (2017) Science with Solutions:Documentation, Reclamation and Monitoring of the Ecological Impacts of Marijuana Cultivation on Endangered Species, Final Performance Report, Grant #F14AP00021, USFWS: Endangered Species Act (Section-6) Grant-in-Aid, http://www.trinitycounty.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5020(December 6, 2017)
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