This story has been updated to correct Polk’s involvement in the 2022 detergent leak at Lost River Cave, and to credit WKU’s Crawford Hydrology Laboratory with tracing the source of the detergent. The story has also been updated to include HydroAnalytical Lab is certified by the state and allowed to use EPA testing methods. The original story said the lab itself was EPA certified. The Herald regrets these errors.
What’s in your water?
“A whole lot of stuff… probably,” Jason Polk, director of the HydroAnalytical Lab, said.
The HydroAnalytical team hosted a lunch and learn event to share its expertise on analyzing water quality at the Innovation Campus, Wednesday. The lab, an appendage of WKU’s Applied Research and Technology Program at Innovation Campus, tests all types of water for all types of customers in south-central Kentucky.
“We’re providing a really important service for drinking water across the region,” Polk said.
The lab partners with the city government, Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and other water-testing facilities. Polk said some of the lab workers are WKU students, and he values “being able to engage students in the types of processes that are necessary to solve water issues.”
Polk said the lab, certified by the State Division of Water, tests drinking water and wastewater for E. coli, phosphorus, pH and various other properties and potential pollutants. The certification allows the lab to use Environmental Protection Agency testing methods. The lab offers customer drop-offs and on-site pickup.
Polk said one of HydroAnalytical’s most important avenues of environmental protection in water is through its field services.
Part of those services involves checking facilities for pollutants in water run-off, especially those that need a permit from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, under the EPA. Polk said this applies to stormwater that hits the facility and may potentially end up in a body of water or groundwater system, like a sewer.
The lab’s testing and prevention help these companies dodge fines, which could reach thousands of dollars. Sometimes, Polk’s team is forced to be reactive in emergency situations.
The team assisted in a hunt for the source of a gasoline leak in 2019 when Bowling Green declared a state of emergency, and Polk said they tracked it down after six months.
Then again, in 2022, Polk was involved in an investigation of a detergent leak flowing into Lost River Cave. Polk said his team helped identify the type of detergent, which WKU’s Crawford Hydrology Laboratory confirmed by a dye trace.
Most of the day-to-day work revolves around customer drop-offs, which can involve their own set of challenges.
“We really don’t know what’s going to come in from day to day,” said Erica McClain, lead analyst at HydroAnalytical Lab. “We try to plan as best we can, but some days, our plan just gets thrown to the side.”
McClain said customers often come in without much knowledge of water testing, and the staff has to utilize investigative techniques to determine what the customer needs.
Polk said he anticipates several changes in the field, including more enforcement on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, which Polk said are coming off “just about every surface you can imagine right now.” According to the EPA, PFAS are “widely used, long-lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.” The EPA placed regulations on six PFAS in drinking water last year.
The HydroAnalytical Lab is also researching antibiotic resistance in E. coli bacteria.
“If you ingest that bacteria and get sick, then antibiotics may not be effective to help you feel better,” Polk said.
Another recent development in the field is the state of fluoride in drinking water. As of July, two states passed laws that banned fluoride in drinking water.
Overall, is it safe to drink Bowling Green tap water? Polk says yes.
“Required regulated drinking water standards are pretty well established,” Polk said. We don’t have reports of anybody usually having issues with tap water on a regular basis. It’s usually a one-off thing.”
