Signs warning residents of the high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in College Creek came down Friday after city officials determined the creek was no longer hazardous. “Levels in College Creek are similar to the rest of the creeks in town – not drinking water – but better than what they’ve previously been,” said Bob Kindred, assistant city manager. he signs were up for about four months, Kindred said. Water tests were taken every few weeks to check the fecal coliform bacterial levels. Fecal coliform can cause intestinal illness and diarrhea in the very young and the very old and in people with weakened immune systems. “The city has no plans to go in and scrape out the creek,” Kindred said. The city had initially planned to spend at least $40,000 on heavy equipment to scrape out the sludge in the contaminated areas. The city plans to reevaluate the situation in the spring, but the residents want the creek to be cleaned naturally, he said. Kindred said this may be the end of the pollution into College Creek, but it may lead to the cleanup of other waterways in the Ames area. “It has opened the eyes of the community to discharges that flow into Ames from rural areas,” he said. Country Terrace LPM Mobile Home Park, 6100 W. Lincoln Way, is still connected to the drain tile that dumps into College Creek, Kindred said. Other polluters – The Broiler Restaurant, 6008 W. Lincoln Way; Chef’s Inn Restaurant, 6400 W. Lincoln Way; and Crestview Mobile Home Park, 5615 W. Lincoln Way – have disconnected from the drain tile. The Department of Natural Resources is working with Country Terrace to get them disconnected by November, a deadline set by the City of Ames. Eric Abrams, 5416 Norris St., lives next to the beginning of College Creek and got a petition started to clean it up. “Basically the petition requested no more dumping into the creek, warning signs and cleanup,” Abrams said. Abrams said he is fine with the city removing the signs. “College Creek has helped raise awareness within the city by making the city aware of the water,” Abrams said. Residents have also become more aware of the pollution of streams and waterways. “Before this I never really cared about water pollution in streams,” Abrams said. “Now I let my grass grow near the creek because it helps improve the quality of the water.” For more information visit College Creek to view the levels of fecal coliform bacteria.