The last of Wichita’s informational meetings on how the city might clean up and better use the Arkansas River is Tuesday.
The session runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sedgwick County Extension office near 21st and Ridge. The basic goal is to improve the quality of the water, promote sustainable economic development and find better ways for people to use the river. If that’s not enough, there will also be coffee from Starbucks and snacks. To learn more about the program, visit www.wichitawraps.org.
For The Eagle’s previous coverage on this, follow the jump:
Published Sept. 11, 2009
BY BRENT D. WISTROM
The Wichita Eagle
After years of cleanups and education, the water in the Arkansas River in Wichita and south of it has improved but remains too polluted to safely swim in or use as a source of drinking water and is even a bit risky for kayaking and canoeing, city officials say.
Now Wichita City Hall is starting a new campaign to generate public support to cut down on the pollution that runs off construction sites, lawns and driveways and into the river, one of the area’s most prominent geographic features.
In coming months, city officials and their consultants plan to gather survey results, meet with residents and formulate ways to make the river water cleaner.
It’s part of a program called WRAPS – Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy – that aims to improve water quality in creeks and lakes throughout Kansas.
Water pollution in the Arkansas River has been a problem for decades.
Meanwhile, the city has invested millions in river development, such as the Keeper of the Plains and WaterWalk, and pressed for yet more development along the river and for more access points for recreation, such as canoeing and fishing.
The primary concern in Wichita now is with the bacteria – often derived from animal droppings – that are swept from the land into the river, particul arly during heavy rains.
Bacteria such as E. coli, which is found in the Arkansas River, can cause diarrhea and other illnesses.
Another focus is on mercury, which often comes from coal power plants and can lead to limits on the amount of fish people should eat from the Arkansas River and bodies of water nationwide.
Kay Johnson, director of Wichita’s environmental services department, said that the WRAPS program could lead to simple things, such as encouraging people to plant depressed gardens to absorb water.
It all depends on what residents say they want to use the river for.
“We want public support for what people think we should do with the river,” Johnson said. “If everybody says we want to swim in the river, then we have to really start cleaning up.”
She said fish counts show the river water is improving.
In 1989, she said, officials counted only 15 species of fish in the river near Wichita.
In 2008, the number had climbed to 44.
But more should be done, she said.
Many efforts will likely encourage people to put less fertilizer and other chemicals on their lawns and properly store and dispose of motor oil and other chemicals.
Sarah Goertz, a marketing coordinator with the city-hired Geotechnical Services, Inc., said the education and information-gathering will likely go on until April.
Then WRAPS will start providing recommendations and programs to cut down on runoff pollution.
“I think that there are a lot of issues people are concerned about,” Goertz said.
But she said many people, herself included, need more information about what is causing pollution and how it can be reduced.
“I think people realize we do want it to be a usable river and an attracti on for our city,” she said.
Reach Brent D. Wistrom at 316-268-6228 or bwistrom@wichitaeagle.com.