MAGNOLIA SPRINGS - The Town of Magnolia Springs council has authorized Mayor Kim Koniar to sign a letter of support and commitment for a grant held by Auburn University that will further the testing of Magnolia River. The grant includes a match of $8,000 from the town, and would begin during the next fiscal year.

“I think this could do two things for us,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Dykema. “One, it will help us identify where the human and animal bacteria or whatever fluid it is comes from, and the second thing, along with a number of other things we’ve previously done, is it will give us a base to keep records that can be judged in the future. But the most important thing is I hope it will help us track down and find out where this bacteria is coming from. Eight thousand seems like a lot of money, but it might not be in the grand scheme of things when you think about what really matters to us.”

The area of Magnolia River concerned is near Highway 98, and not a typical swim spot for many people. It was discovered by Mobile Baykeeper last year, when repeated bacteria testing at the location continuously showed high amounts of bacteria. While Mobile Baykeeper tests for bacteria presence in the water, receiving the grant would allow testing of what type of bacteria it is, and potentially where it originates.

The grant also includes an educational outreach at the end of the study to give out information regarding the results of the testing and programs available to help mitigate any problems found in the river.

For more information on Magnolia Springs, visit www.townofmagnoliasprings.org.