When asked about water testing, TCEQ referred us to the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. We reached out last week but have not received a response.
KERR COUNTY, Texas — After the deadly floods hit Kerr County, we wanted to know how the waters of the Guadalupe River have been impacted.
KENS 5 spoke with an environmental expert to provide some insight.
This past week, we followed a dive crew and because of questions of water quality, they made sure not to let water get into their dive gear.
So we asked an expert: what are the concerns with water quality after a flood?
Video from the Fourth of July floods showed houses, cars and other types of debris being swept away and into the waters of the Guadalupe River.
An expert says those items can include plastics, oils, chemicals, pesticides, construction materials and electronic waste.
Dr. Saugata Datta, chair of the Earth and planetary science department and director of the Institute of Water Research, Sustainability and Policy at UTSA, says all those materials can impact water quality.
“Pathogen spread is very common and it threatens downstream communities and multiple recreational users,” said Datta.
We reached out to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and asked about their concerns regarding debris and other items in the water.
They referred us to a CDC website, which list what exposure to contaminated floodwaters can cause, including wound infections, skin rash, gastrointestinal illness and tetanus.
Datta says water testing is an absolute necessity.
“The reason behind it is that there is a human health and infrastructure implication,” said Datta.
KENS 5 reached out to TCEQ and they referred all testing questions to the Upper Guadalupe River Authority who did not immediately provide a comment.
We also asked Datta about groundwater.
“The groundwater can also get affected in a way, to say the drinking water also can get affected, because of these flooding situations which can interact with the human health,” said Datta.
Datta says another concern with the debris in the flood waters is the possible long term effects from debris settling down in the banks of rivers and lakes.
“Sedentary materials build up, also can cause a major health issue for the inhabitants nearby, not just for during the time of the post flood but maybe several tens of years after the event,” said Datta.
Datta also says nothing is irreversible but the testing of the waters is key to understanding the impacts of floodwaters, both short and long term.