The Mystery of Sandy Bottom Creek

Sandy Bottom Creek, a small tributary, flows through a rural town called Cedarville. The people of Cedarville are mostly farmers who have worked the land since the area was settled in the late 1600's. Cedarville is a small community. Its residents know each other well and often work together to protect the area's resources.

In the summer the children of Cedarville swim and fish in Sandy Bottom Creek just north of town, at a spot where the water is deep. Cedarville residents say, "Many a summer supper came to our table from the idlings of our youngsters! Seems Sandy Bottom's been feedin' our families since time began."

The creek flows through a great marsh on its way out of town. This marsh is called King's Folly Marsh because before the area was settled, the King's men (English soldiers) took a shortcut through the marsh on their horses and got stuck in the mud!

King's Folly teems with animals and is alive throughout the year with colorful insects, herons, egrets, ducks, muskrats, and many kinds of fish. Last year the Cedarville town picnic was held just outside the marsh, since the scenery there is so beautiful.

This fall, the citizens of Cedarville are up in arms about an alarming and mysterious set of circumstances. It all started when a health official came from New Port City, an urban area bustling with industry and port activities that lies downstream (south) of Cedarville, where the creek joins the Johnstown River. The official said a small boy had become quite ill in New Port City, and a test showed dangerous levels of a pesticide byproduct in his blood. Cedarville farmers use this pesticide in their crops. The case is a mystery; the boy has never visited Cedarville and has never even left his neighborhood in New Port City.

New Port City's drinking water was tested and not a trace of the pesticide was found. The unfiltered water from Johnstown River was tested. A small amount of the pesticide was found, but this was expected since runoff from Cedarville farms is known to contribute small quantities of pollutants to Sandy Bottom Creek. So how did this poison get into the boy's blood?

In the state north of Cedarville, several people have also reported mild cases of a similar disorder. Yet Cedarville is the only town in the region that uses the pesticide.

The town has called a meeting to discuss the problem. The citizens are concerned about their responsibility in this matter and also worried that they won't be able to use the chemical anymore to protect their crops. They feel this pesticide is the best one ever developed. They have used it for two years and there has never been a problem . Has there been some mistake?

No illnesses were reported during the summer, when people were eating the tomatoes and corn grown in Cedarville, and none of the crops were shipped out of state. If the pesticide is making people ill, why haven't the people who have eaten crops grown in Cedarville been affected? No one in Cedarville has gotten sick-though one man did report finding a dead eagle near his farm south of town.