A meeting regarding the Arkansas River water quality was held in Topeka today. Officials from the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Wichita State University met to discuss issues related to the status and improvement of the Arkansas River.
"The meeting went very well," said Jack Brown, Environmental Health Director. "This is an unprecedented effort on the issue of water quality. Both the local and state governments have agreed to partner on addressing the problems."
Participating agencies have agreed to initiate a sampling and testing program that will integrate all testing activities of the City, county and state into one comprehensive program. This coordinated program is expected to be implemented within the next couple of months. They also developed a planning process for an upcoming water quality summit, which will include citizens, water quality experts, health officials, and all other stakeholders. The goal of the summit is to come up with recommendations for solutions to the water quality problems facing this community.
The meeting also addressed the incorporation of "ribotyping" into the testing procedure. This new "fingerprinting" method of testing can distinguish whether waste has come from wildlife, livestock or human sources.
"The meeting was very beneficial," said Brown. "I am very excited that we’ve come this far."