Tates Creek (Madison County, Kentucky) is characterized by an oversupply of nutrients and fecal microbe contamination. Its watershed is dominated by pastureland and immature woodlands with scattered settlements served by septic systems, whereas ~5% of the watershed drains urban areas of Richmond, Kentucky. Creek waters are eutrophic and commonly display levels of Escherichia coli deemed unfit for human contact by United States Environmental Protection Agency standards. Both point and non-point sources existed for stream contaminants. A secondary sewage treatment plant (STP) discharged effluent into the creek until mid-2011 and was a point source for nitrate and phosphate. Pastureland likely contributes dissolved nutrients as well. High ammonium levels occurred sporadically, only sometimes related to plant discharge. After plant shutdown, nutrient levels downstream of the former STP decreased markedly for nitrate and phosphate, but phosphate then became the principal nutrient contaminant, suggesting that nitrogen may be the limiting nutrient within the stream ecosystem. Fecal microbes enter the stream from the sewer system serving the town of Richmond, from cattle farming, and from large developments served by septic systems. We cannot demonstrate any fecal contamination from single-residence septic systems.

There is renewed interest in flax or linseed, Linum usitatissimum L., as a seed crop since it contains high ω3 oil important to healthy diets. Flax was raised widely in Kentucky (KY) prior to World War I. A study was conducted in KY to determine the yield and oil quality of cultivars currently grown and adapted to North Dakota (ND). The cultivar Carter had the highest yield in two out of three years. Carter and Rehab grown in KY had significantly less linolenic acid than the same cultivars grown in ND. Linolenic acid levels for cv. Omega were significantly higher in ND than KY. Flax or linseed can be produced in KY but not with a very competitive yield.

We present two theorems concerning uniqueness of solutions for second order ordinary differential equations that have a generalized left-hand side with initial conditions. Despite the fact that the hypotheses are weak, the theorems cover a large number of cases and the proofs are not especially complicated.