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Another source of contamination of the Lower Chippewa River is trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical refers to any type of medicinal drug. This includes both prescription and
non-prescription medications.
Pharmaceuticals can enter waterways like the Lower Chippewa River by improperly disposing
of old or unwanted medications.
It is a common misconception that flushing old or unwanted medications or dumping them
down the drain is an acceptable method of disposal. Trace amounts of medications end
up in our water supply because they are NOT filtered out at wastewater treatment facilities.
In Boulder, Colorado, scientists conducted research on the Boulder Creek, near the effluent
of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The effluent is the site where water is discharged
from the treatment plant into a body of water.
The suspicion of detectable levels of hormones, along with other pharmaceuticals being released
in the effluent, led scientists to sample a species of fish called white suckers. This
species of fish is also found in the Lower Chippewa River.
Samples were taken at a site 2 kilometers upstream from the effluent and 200 meters
downstream from the effluent. Fish tested downstream had decreased *** abundance and
disrupted ovarian development. Fish tested upstream showed no evidence of reproductive
disruption.
We cannot be sure that these same reproductive disruptions are not happening to the aquatic
life in the Lower Chippewa River because there are currently NO standards in place by the
EPA for pharmaceutical regulation in wastewater treatment facilities.
Every day in the city of Eau Claire, 6 million gallons of water are treated in our wastewater
treatment facility.
Currently, some of the processes that our water goes through as it makes its way through
the plant include treatments for: organics, solids, pH, heavy metals, ammonia and phosphorus.
At the Eau Claire Wastewater Treatment Plant, the water moves through a series of settling
tanks to remove particles and is then treated with good bacteria which ‘eat up’ any
remaining contaminants. From May to September the water is chlorinated and dechlorinated
before it is released into the Chippewa River to ensure the safety of the public, who are
using the river recreationally.
After passing through the many stages of treatment, the treated wastewater is eventually returned
to the Chippewa River via an underwater pipe located underneath the I-94 overpass.
However, there is something that you, as a community member, can do to help alleviate
the growing problem of pharmaceuticals polluting the waterways. The Prescription Drug Disposal
Program in Eau Claire County offers free disposal of unwanted or unused medications including:
prescription drugs, over the counter medications, vials, inhalers, sprays and also pet medicines.
There are four convenient disposal locations in Eau Claire County, where community members
can dispose of their medications for free. For more information regarding the disposal
program, contact Eau Claire County Planning and Development.
A pharmaceutical disposal program such as the one we have in place in Eau Claire County
is the best method for keeping the Lower Chippewa River clean. We urge you look in your medicine
cabinet today and take any old or unwanted medications to your local drop off site.