Pollution
Reached the Tipping Point
Pathogens
MSD has to post warning signs like these along Floyds Fork due to the excessive pathogen loads.
People that are immunosuppressed must stay out of the water
People that are wounded in Floyds Fork will be treated by a doctor as if it was a barnyard wound
Waste Water
Floyds Fork receives >4,000,000,000 (that's BILLION) gallons of Municipal Waste Water annually
Set to increase by 250% by 2040 if no changes are made
Nutrients that Kill
Nitrogen and Phosphorus, while good for plants, are a disaster for aquatic life.
860,000 lbs of Nitrogen is dumped into Floyds Fork annually
98,000 lbs of Phosphorus is dumped into Floyds Fork annually
These excess "nutrients" feed unhealthy algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels within the stream (remember: these nutrients are good for plants but bad for aquatic life)
When oxygen levels are depleted, animals that can't move die. Floyds Fork has a mollusk population (fresh water clams, muscles, snails, etc) that depend upon a healthy stream. These mollusks are the natural filtration process that keep the water clean for the fish. If they die, the fish will not live much longer after them. Two thirds (2/3) of the Floyds Fork mussel species have already died.