I remember being amazed when I discovered there are no natural lakes in Missouri. Now there are natural oxbow lakes, lakes that remain in old river channels after the river changes course, and we also have natural sinkhole ponds or lakes formed from collapsed cave systems. What we don't have in Missouri is the type of natural lakes resulting from past glaciation that are so plentiful in the Great Lakes states and Canada.

The largest man-made lakes in Missouri.

The location of these man-made lakes becomes a real problem when EPA and DNR attempt to develop lake numeric nutrient criteria, in other words, what is that number when the lake is then declared to be polluted. I have been involved in this struggle for around 10 years now and it is still ongoing.

As shown above, Mark Twain Lake can be impacted by sediment.

Most all of our reservoirs were constructed in the mid 1900s long after the landscape had been altered, mainly for agricultural purposes, especially in the northern half of Missouri. The location of the reservoirs are all man made decisions and therefore none of the lakes can be identified as having natural reference conditions. EPA requires Missouri to follow national water quality standards that support "designated uses" such as Aquatic Habitat Protection, Human Health Protection, Whole Body Contact Recreation and Drinking Water Supply.

City of Springfield water supply pumping station at Stockton Lake.

The problem is that some of the "Designated Uses" do not coincide and are in fact often at odds with each other. In particular, the designated use for Aquatic Habitat Protection for aquatic life depends in many cases on a relatively high availability of nutrients to supply the food chain. In contrast, suitability of lake waters for Drinking Water Supply and Whole Body Contact favors lower nutrient content, which would produce lower levels of algae and increased water clarity. It is a case of who wins out, fish or people....

The aquatic food chain starts with algae.

Finding that balance between water clarity and aquatic habitat and giving it a hard and fast number is a tough job, yet that is what EPA is telling the states they must do. And no matter what number is ultimately arrived at, not everyone or maybe not anyone will be happy. It will be an imperfect compromise that will be our best guess at how to find that balance.

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Quote of the Week

"Let nature teach them...

Those children will grow to be the best men and women."

~ Luther Burbank

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Urban Trees Provide Pollution Solution

Pollution Online

November 25, 2015

Urban environments Down Under aren't all that different than those in the United States. They also struggle with contaminated water running off and causing pollution. In response, cities often use natural landscapes of soil, grasses, and trees. These biofiltration systems capture and filter the runoff. How well do they filter runoff? Research on how soils and woody plants like trees filter water is lacking. In response, researchers at the University of Melbourne designed an experiment.

Researchers planted four different trees commonly used as street trees in Australia in three different soil types (leaving some unplanted to serve as controls). To these, they applied either a solution similar to stormwater or regular tap water. The stormwater contained high levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. High levels of these nutrients are typically present in stormwater in part because of fertilizer runoff. The results showed the trees are good at unpacking nutrients from stormwater.

To read the complete article, Click: HERE

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Half of septic systems inspected are failing

Salina Journal

December 2, 2015

About half of the septic systems inspected each year by the Saline County Planning and Zoning Department are failing, Director David Neal told Saline County commissioners at a meeting Tuesday, and most of those are between 30 and 40 years old. Neal said he is putting into writing the department's policy of inspecting septic systems when property is being sold. The point of an inspection is to make sure a septic system works, but inspectors can't guarantee that a system will continue to work.

If a system is failing, he said, it must be fixed by either the current or new owner. "There can be a penalty, but we just want the system fixed," Neal said. "If we wrote a violation and nobody did anything about it, we could take them to court. The court would require them to put in a new system. I have never had to do anything like that."

To read the complete article, Click: HERE.

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Zebra mussels will change water quality

Branson Tri-Lakes News

December 1, 2015

FORSYTH - The presence of invasive species will change the water quality in Bull Shoals Lake reported Gopala Borchelt, of Ozarks Water Watch, in a presentation to county commissioners Monday. In response to a question from Presiding Commissioner Mike Scofield, Borchelt explained that both zebra mussels and a tiny snail that she identified as a second invasive species in area waters are filter feeders that will actually filter out everything from bacteria to tiny algae. She said this will result in a change of water quality. "We've got a lot of nutrients in our water and its allowed these things to explode," Borchelt said. "It has just changed the whole dynamics of it," Borchelt said.

Eastern Commissioner Danny Strahan noted zebra mussels are a major problem for fishermen and boaters. Residents have told Strahan they put out a trot line and overnight it becomes encrusted with zebra mussels. Commissioners inquired about possible solutions to the zebra mussels problem. Borchelt said there are solutions that have been worked out in the Great Lakes area which has had zebra mussels a long time. Chemicals have been used to reduce their spawning. Borchelt cautioned against implementing that type of action.

To read the complete article: Click HERE

Contact Info
OZARKS WATER WATCH MISSOURI OFFICE ARKANSAS OFFICE

David Casaletto, President PO Box 636, 2 Kissee Ave., Ste. C 1200 W. Walnut, Ste. 3405
(417) 739-5001 Kimberling City, MO 65686 Rogers, AR 72756

contact@ozarkswaterwatch.org