By Bill O’Connell
Wilson County News

FLORESVILLE — A search for elevated levels of bacteria in the San Antonio River has nearly reached the midway point.

Water samples from just below Falls City to the Victoria-Refugio county line will be tested, and scientists with the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) expect to wrap up the survey by fall 2004.

"We’re looking specifically at bacteria, and if there’s a problem. If there is, in what reaches might that be?" SARA Environmental Services Superintendent Stephen Lusk said.

Water samples are being taken at 13 sites along the river, from the F.M. 791 bridge southwest of Falls City, down-stream to the final collection point at the U.S. 77 bridge.

A total of 780 water sam-ples will be collected by the end of the yearlong process, which will conclude at the end of April. After that, scientists will test the samples for a period of six months.

Scientists are searching for three types of bacteria: fecal coliform, E. coli, and fecal streptococcus.

E. coli is a type of fecal coliform, which is a microorganism that lives in the intes-tines of animals and humans, and can grow at elevated temperatures.

E. coli can cause cramps, kidney failure, and even death. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

Fecal streptococcus is another group of bacteria indicative of human or animal waste.

The hunt for harmful bacteria in the four-county region bisected by the San Antonio River is part of an ongoing monitoring schedule for the entire river. Established under the Texas Clean Rivers Act of 1991, the continued assess-ment of the state’s water supply is paid for by wastewater discharge fees, water rights holders, and state funds that come through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

In addition to SARA, other area agencies routinely participate in water quality surveys similar to the one being conducted in Karnes, Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria counties. Other agencies include the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the TCEQ.

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