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Making stream safe for kids Craven photo Kristen Andrus, a student at Southern Oregon University, analyzes water samples taken from Little Butte Creek. Andrus is hoping her research will help track down the source of bacterial contamination in the creek. SOU senior aims to clean up Butte Creek By Melissa Martin EAGLE POINT � Kristen Andrus doesn�t like the sign any better than parents of the children who play at Mattie Brown Park. The red letters warn folks to stay out of Little Butte Creek because of high levels of e-coli, a bacteria that can make people sick. But the Southern Oregon University senior hopes her research someday will make it safe to play in clean water flowing through Eagle Point. For the past five weeks, Andrus has been collecting creek samples, processing them in a laboratory and searching for trends about e-coli bacteria levels that might lead water quality officials to the source of the pollution. Soap and water can help prevent infection Folks who fish, swim or play in polluted creeks can help prevent infection with a little old-fashioned remedy � scrub with soap and clean water. "A thorough cleaning with soap and water is the most effective tool we have for preventing or reducing infections," said Gary Stevens, program manager for Jackson County�s environmental health. E-coli levels that exceed standards increase the chance of disease, Stevens said. "People can protect themselves by not consuming any of it and by not eating, drinking or smoking while their hands are dirty from being in the creek," he said. Children or adults with open cuts or sores who come in contact with contaminated water should make sure they�ve thoroughly scrubbed their wounds. A disinfectant such as peroxide or a topical antibacterial ointment also helps. Watch the cut for swelling, redness, warmth and possible fever, and see a doctor if you suspect infection. "We haven�t noticed any patterns yet," said Andrus, flipping through a notebook with pages of neatly scripted numbers. Andrus takes the 10 creek samples to an SOU laboratory. She dilutes each sample with broth, a medium for bacteria to grow on. Then she pours the samples into 15 test tubes to incubate for 24 hours. Later, she shines an ultraviolet light on the test tubes, looking for a purplish glow emitted by cells too tiny for the naked eye to see. "If the samples become fluorescent and show trapped air, it�s a positive," Andrus said. Finding high levels of e-coli does not mean the creek has bacteria that will make a person sick, said Frances Oyung, a coordinator with the Little Butte Creek Watershed Council, the agency sponsoring the research. "E-coli is an indicator of the presence of bacteria and other organisms," Oyung said. "Ninety-nine percent of the e-coli won�t hurt you. In fact, it already exists in the human body. But there is the potential that the bacteria could be of the strain that exists in raw hamburger meat and can make you sick." Little Butte is one of 17 creeks in Jackson County that have e-coli levels high enough to post warning signs this summer, said Caitlin Quinby, water resources analyst for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. Little Butte Creek is not as dirty as Bear Creek, which, along with the Tualatin and Willamette rivers, has some of the poorest water quality in the state, she said. But it�s not as clean as Big Butte, Elk or Trail creeks in the Upper Rogue, Oyung said. As Andrus soups her chemicals in the lab and records results, she hopes to find patterns that will lead local water agencies to the source of the pollution. "We have been noticing some interesting things at the sites along the creek where we take samples � dirty diapers, food wrappers, beer cans and other signs of human activity," the 21-year-old said. Andrus hopes to enter medical school and become a forensics doctor. "At one site, I saw a dog wading in the water," she said. But a leaking septic tank or flooded cow pastures could also contribute, Oyung said. "It�s not one person�s cow or one person�s septic; it�s 300 things," she said. "But we�re not the bacteria police. We�re bringing this information up so the community can use it to take action." This is the third year that e-coli levels have been collected on Little Butte Creek. Results are sent to Eagle Point city officials, who post warning signs at city parks when levels are high. "This gives us an opportunity to post the warning signs on the creek, to keep the public informed so nobody gets sick," said Gary Shipley, Eagle Point�s public works director. "A lot of parents don�t know where their kids are; they may find them playing down in the creek." 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