http://www.arkansasonline.com

The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission in three weeks will hear the Big Creek Research and Extension Team attempt to rationalize why it feels no need to verify whether the wet substance discovered by electrical resistivity studies directly beneath a swine waste lagoon at C&H Hog Farms is indeed raw waste leaking through a major fracture into the groundwater.

It's inconceivable that the Big Creek team (the governor-appointed, tax-funded University of Arkansas Agriculture Division group responsible for ensuring this factory isn't leaking waste into our Buffalo National River watershed) doesn't insist on drilling a well to verify the studies that documented the plumes of highly suspicious material beneath the lagoon.

Has denial become a preferred scientific approach for watchdogs?

The commission meeting is scheduled for June 24 at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (cough) headquarters in Little Rock. You might want to attend. Geologist Todd Halihan of Oklahoma State University discovered what appears to be leaking and a significant fracture directly beneath one of two raw waste lagoons in March 2015. However, both the state agency and the commission responsible for environmental protection supposedly knew nothing of his findings until the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance disclosed them during a commission meeting last month.

Arkansans wonder why no one except the team knew of the findings. In October, Tim Kresse, a veteran water quality specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Big Creek team member, sent an email to Andrew Sharpley, the team leader, saying: "I did chat with Todd ... some about the pond results ... In short, it would be nice to put a well on the west side in the vicinity of where Todd believed he saw a major fracture and movement of waste. This could be critical to resolving the interpretation of the resistivity data. Todd would be willing to assist on getting the drilling done for free. I just don't know how the amount of grief or worry this would cause in lieu of all the activity at the farm, but again I believe it is a critical component. Todd is fairly confident of his interpretation. Thoughts?"

My thoughts: Lots of taxpaying Arkansans are rightfully curious and worried over what's beneath the lagoon.