1. Town Branch First Surface in West Lexington
Lexington,KY was founded near the Town Branch Stream, a tributary of the Elkhorn. In the early years of the town, The Branch was covered by bridges and gradually paved over. Wolf Run stream augments the Town Branch in the Western suburbs/countryside. Photo by Richie Wireman.

2. Lexington Cholera Epidemics 1833 & 1849
Cholera was thought to be caused by miasma, “bad air” from stagnant water. 501 Lexington cholera deaths, 8% of population, in Bacterial culprit, Cholera Vibrio, actually transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water.

3. Main St Flood-Lexington, KY 1928
The epidemics in Europe and US had dwindled by 1925 with the improvement of water and sanitary sewer facilities. Lexington had long ago covered the Town Branch with roads, but continued to feel its presence during heavy rains.

4. The municipal water system was established in 1885, with initial impetus for fire control. By 1919, the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment plant was receiving inflow from the city’s sanitary sewers.

5. 1935 brick and stone sewer covering Town Branch stream
1935 brick and stone sewer covering Town Branch stream. Same structures currently in use today.

6. Sanitary sewer overflow.

7. Results of Wolf Run stream testing for human Escherichia Coli
Results of Wolf Run stream testing for human Escherichia Coli. Watershed is in south western section of Lexington. Wolf Run joins Town Branch stream (bottom center) at Alexandria Drive.

8. Friends of Wolf Run- Lexington, Kentucky Terry Foody, RN, MSN
COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPACT SURVEY
Friends of Wolf Run- Lexington, Kentucky Terry Foody, RN, MSN
Project Coordinator
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Department of Environmental Quality
Stormwater Quality Incentive Grants Program
Class A (Neighborhood ) Project
July, June, 2011.
May, 2012 – August 2015.
- (859)
Friends of Wolf Run applied for Stormwater Quality grant to conduct a community health impact survey. These grants incorporated into city’s response to EPA suit.

9. Project Methods Known presence of human E.coli. In Wolf Run stream.
Question: evidence of waterborne disease?
Apply for and secure stormwater grant (FoWR & Foody).
Acquire samples: 5 stream sites x 4 rounds. (FoWR).
Analysis of stream samples at UK Micro.Lab (Dr.Ribes).
Survey of Health Care Practitioners in Watershed for incidence of waterborne disease in patients. (Foody)

10. Rubble, exposed pipe and outlet in city stream.

11. Stool Cultures for Water Samples
Julie A. Ribes, M.D., Ph.D.
UKHealthCare Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
Stream samples tested for evidence of waterborne disease.

12. Wolf Run Water Findings D13 BAP
Sweep oxidase to pick up
Aeromonas
Pleisiomonas
Spready colony worked up for possible Bacillus cereus
Early growths on blood agar.

13. Stream Results from One Station
Examples from one sample site in Wolf Run Watershed. (Vaughn’s Branch tributary of Wolf Run).

14. Wolf Run Water Findings D13 XLD
Usual coliforms are yellow
Need to screen black colonies for possible Salmonella spp.
Need to screen clear red colonies for possible Shigella spp.
Laboratory incubation growths.

15. Potentially Significant Organisms Isolated
D13 8/24/10 Bacillus cereus, Aeromonas sobria, Pleisiomonas shigelloides
D10 8/24/10 Aeromonas sobria, Bacillus cereus
D14 8/24/10 Bacillus cereus, Aeromonas sobria
D16 8/24/10 Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas sobria, Bacillus cereus
D18 8/24/10 Bacillus cereus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas schubertii, Aeromonas sobria, Aeromonas caviae

16. Aeromonas hydrophila Aeromonas caviae
Final results do not indicate correlation to significant waterbone disease.

17. Wolf Run Stream in neighborhood near children’s playground
Wolf Run Stream in neighborhood near children’s playground. (Outlet pipe to water).

18. Watershed area for survey of health care practitioners to report incidence of waterborne disease in their patient population.

19. Survey of Agencies Tool Preparation – validity & reliability.
Input from MDs, Epidemiologists, RNs
Health Department – Disease registry.
Watershed agencies: Lexington Clinic, KY Clinic South, Family Care Center, W Hope Center, Bluegrass Com. Health Clinic.
, added outside watershed: Salvation Army, Health First Lexington, Men’s Hope Center & 4 Schools.]
Survey tool prepared by project coordinator, with input from other professionals. Internal review board approval for study secured from Health Department, EKU and UK.

20. Results 2010-2011 Four agencies in the watershed:
273 total cases gastroenteritis.
Adults, children, male, female with watery or bloody diarrhea.
Health Department confirmed reportable diseases: 34 cases from specific pathogens.
Note! Correlation to stream not provable.

21. 2012-2013 Expand survey to agencies outside Wolf Run Watershed .
Hold on water sampling.
Expand survey to agencies outside Wolf Run Watershed .
Community education to professionals, neighborhoods.
Medical/city stormwater coalition Roundtable Meetings: Jan, May 2013.
Comparison of survey results to agencies in Wolf Run watershed. Full study results were reported and discussed in large roundtable meetings with interested stakeholders/partners in medicine, nursing, government, sanitation engineers, research, epidemiology, watershed and grant administration.

22. Ultimate goal: increased awareness and documentation of community health impact in stream and population. (Photo of Preston’s Cave, Wolf Run Watershed, by Richie Wireman).