Dead dog may have contaminated river in Arkansas
LEPANTO, ARK. — Police Chief of Lepanto, Arkansas says the “Little River” that runs through the Poinsett County town is now off limits.
This comes after police say they received a disturbing call over the weekend.
“Sunday morning, I received a call that they found a dead dog in the river,” Lepanto Arkansas Police Chief Mark Authement said.
He says he became concerned about any bacteria or health threats to people who use the river for recreation.
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Now, Chief Authement says no fishing or swimming is allowed in the river.
“They mostly fish I think, for catfish here,” he said. “The kids love to play in it, swim in it, ride their four-wheelers and stuff in it, and have a blast basically.”
It’s unclear what breed the dog found north of the Highway 14 bridge was, but after the discovery, the Chief took to social media to make his concerns.
“So, immediately we made a post to stop everyone from swimming and fishing in the river,” he said. “My concern is just making sure that the citizens of Lepanto are safe and no one gets injured, no one gets sick.”
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The river shutdown also allowed time for crews and volunteers to clean up trash and remove as many dangerous obstacles as possible from the water.
The Chief also says there were a few locals who opposed the river closure but most understood his actions.
“Personally, I would not swim or fish in Little River. It does not flow,” Lepanto resident Steve Jernigan said. “It’s a non-flowing river and there’s all kinds of dead animals in it all the time.”
On Tuesday, Chief Authement said the public would be allowed to swim and fish in the river at their own risk.
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