Community Corner

No Contamination in Novato Creek, Water Board Says

Investigators took water samples following a complaint from a resident




There is no trace of manure in Novato Creek where it flows through O'Hair Park, said the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Board Wednesday.

The state agency sent two investigators to O’Hair Park Tuesday to collect water samples following a call from a concerned resident that manure from a nearby ranching operation was getting into Novato Creek.

“We did not see any evidence between this spreading operation and the creek,” said spokesman James Ponton. He added that the agency may return to the creek later this summer to test the water once manure has dried.

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Last week, a Novato resident grew concerned about the contamination after watching a rancher spread liquid manure on his field, east of the creek. Farmers commonly spread manure over dry fields to seed them for the following spring.

Ponton said that while investigators did not find evidence of manure in the water, he appreciated the community concern. 

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“It’s good to have eyes and ears in the watershed,” he said.

Have a news tip for Novato Patch? We’d love to hear from you. Send Local Editor Karina Ioffee a note at karina@patch.com


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