Watershed Committee of the Ozarks to receive $255,551 for Little Sac River restoration project

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced a $255,551 grant to the Watershed

Committee of the Ozarks for restoration and improvements to the Little Sac River. The funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

The project will focus on reducing bacteria in the Upper Little Sac River basin. The pollution reduction will be accomplished through implementation of recognized practices to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff.

The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks will provide a contribution of $172,910 over the life of the project, bringing the total cost of the project to $428,461. The project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2017.

Water quality improvement efforts will include streambank stabilization, prescribed grazing systems, bank vegetative buffers and alternative livestock watering sources. Project partners will assist with implementation and performance monitoring of the selected practices.

           

The Department of Natural Resources will administer the funds and is committed to working with communities and businesses to assist with efforts to improve water quality in Missouri. For more information, visit the department’sWater Protection Program online.

Clean Water Commission to discuss impacts of new water regulations

Commission to meet July 13 in Jefferson City

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 11, 2011—The Missouri Clean Water Commission will hear information on the potential impacts of proposed changes to water quality standards at a July 13 meeting.  

The commission will hold the public meeting at 9 a.m. at the Lewis and Clark State Office Building, 1101 Riverside Dr., Jefferson City.

The changes to water quality standards, proposed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will update current regulations to ensure state water quality standards are reviewed and revised at least every three years as required by federal law.  The department will present information on the regulatory impact report generated for this proposed rulemaking.   The report is currently open for public comment.

At this meeting, the department will ask the commission to approve a $100,000 loan to the city of Linneus for wastewater treatment improvements.  Other items on the agenda include updates on other proposed rulemakings and possible enforcement actions against Vaughn Topsoil Farm in Phelps County and Maher Brothers Inc. in RallsCounty.  Department staff will also provide routine updates on functions of the Water Protection Program.

People requiring special services or who wish to speak at the July 13 commission meeting can make arrangements by calling 800-361-4827 or 573-751-1300 or by writing to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Clean Water Commission Secretary, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO, 65102-0176. Hearing-impaired individuals may contact the program through Relay Missouri at 800-735-2966.

The commission is a seven-member board that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The department provides staff support to the commission. The Clean Water Commission adopts rules and regulations and advises the department on various water quality issues. 

For more information or a complete meeting agenda, contact Malinda Steenbergen at the Department of Natural Resources at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-6721 or visit the department's website atdnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/cwc/index.html.

Department of Natural Resources seeking comments on proposed changes to Missouri’s water quality standards

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JUNE 3, 2011— The Missouri Department of Natural Resources opened a 60-day comment period today on a series of proposed changes to the state’s water quality standards.

The U.S. Clean Water Act requires the state to review its water quality standards every three years, and state law requires the department to report on the likely effects of any changes that are made to the standards. This report, known formally as a regulatory impact report, has been posted to the department’s website for public review through Aug. 2.

The regulatory impact report addresses the environmental benefits and economic costs associated with a number of proposed changes to the state’s water quality standards:

• Applying “fishable/swimmable” use designations to 84,845 miles of currently unclassified waters as required by the federal Clean Water Act.
• Expanding dissolved oxygen water quality criteria per federal guidance.
• Revising chloride water quality criteria in response to petition.
• Revising phenol water quality criteria in response to petition.
• Designating LaBarque Creek in Jefferson Co. as an outstanding state resource water in response to petition.
• Responding to the October 2009 Environmental Protection Agency decision that new or revised water quality standards are needed on a 28.6 mile segment of the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
• Authorizing provisions to provide the basis for recommending variances to water quality standards when standards are not achievable through traditional regulatory approaches.

A regulatory impact report is required at the beginning of the rulemaking process for rulemakings involving environmental standards or conditions.  The report documents the environmental benefits and economic costs associated with the upcoming rulemaking.

The report can be accessed on the Water Protection Program’s website at dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/rules/wpp-rule-dev.htm.  Copies of the report may be requested by calling 573-751-1300, by mail at Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Water Protection Program, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176, Attn: John Hoke, or by email at john.hoke@dnr.mo.gov.

Written comments regarding the report will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2011.   Comments should be addressed to John Hoke at the addresses above.  Please include your name, postal address and phone number when submitting email comments.

Department of Natural Resources seeking comments on Missourians’ recreational use of streams and rivers

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JUNE 3, 2011— The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on Missourians’ recreational use of more than 380 Missouri waterways. 

As part of a periodic review of state water quality standards required by the federal Clean Water Act, the Department of Natural Resources is considering revisions to the recreational use designations assigned to a number of Missouri streams and rivers.

The department recognizes that Missouri citizens know best how their local rivers and streams are used and wants those who are familiar with these water bodies to provide their input.  In particular, the department is looking for information on whether or not these streams are used by the public for swimming, fishing, wading, tubing or any other type of recreation.  This information is critical for helping to maintain appropriate water quality where these uses exist.

Each of the water bodies under review fell under a default designation in 2005 as being suitable for “whole body contact recreation,” meaning that people used or could use the river or stream for activities such as swimming, water skiing or skin diving.  

The department’s review of water quality standards will consider public input along with the results of stream surveys, conducted in 2007 and 2008 at the request of the Missouri Clean Water Commission, to determine whether these streams’ use designations should be adjusted to more accurately represent how they are being used or can be used.

These structured, scientific surveys, known as recreational use attainability analyses, or UAAs, combine stream depth measurements with interviews and public notification.  In addition to surveying for swimming use, the department looked for evidence of existing secondary contact recreation uses, such as fishing, wading and boating.

The data from each survey have been compiled and reviewed, and a recommendation has been made to either maintain or revise the current recreational use designations. These recommended use designations will ensure appropriate bacteria criteria are in place to protect attainable or existing recreational uses.

The department is committed to protecting the public who use our streams for recreation, while at the same time being careful not to cause small communities or ratepayers to pay higher fees to protect uses that do not exist or are not attainable.

Facilities with state operating permits allowing discharge of wastewater are required to meet the highest federal and state requirements.  A downgrade in a water body’s recreational designation does not exempt a facility from the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act or Missouri Clean Water Law.  The conditions of each facility’s state operating permit must continue to be followed and enforced.  Discharge of raw sewage is a violation of state and federal statute and will not be allowed.

To review the UAA information available online and see which streams may be affected, visit the department’s UAA website, dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/wqstandards/uaa/index.html.  This page includes an online survey to assist the public in submitting comments as well as a video that further explains the process.

Citizens also may submit comments by mail to: UAA Coordinator, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Water Protection Program, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176.  All comments received during the Recreational UAA public comment period, and any revised department recommendations, will be posted on the department’s UAA website.

The public comment period for this process runs through Dec. 31.