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Gravois Group Seeks Help In Vain To Prevent Being Washed Away

From KRMS 1150: http://www.1150krms.com/

CITIZENS GROUP ASKS FOR HELP WITH LANDFILL IN CAMDEN COUNTY

Submitted by Michael McSorley on March 5, 2008 - 3:25pm.

A local landfill was the concern for a group of about 20 residents that met with the Camden County commission yesterday. The proposed landfill is in Camden County off of Spring Valley Road, near the county lines with Miller and Pulaski counties. Citizens for Responsible Waste Management claim that the landfill has no positives for the community and will actually contaminate the water in the Lake of the Ozarks watershed. Brian Duncan, a member of the group, says landfills can provide no guarantees.

"Everybody says oh the DNR ain't going to let that happen, nobody believes that it's going to happen," Duncan said. "Well, it's going to happen, and DNR would tell us a guarantee that it won't leak, they saidf they're pretty sure but they won't guarantee it."

Citizens for Responsible Waste Management asked the Camden County commission to draft an ordinance that would provide protection for local residents. 2nd District Commissioner Thom Gumm says if any steps are taken they must not be done against a specific developer. Gumm says any ordinance like that would not hold up in court.

"We do have to watch that, we can only write an ordinance that won't discriminate against any of the people that live here, any of the businesses," Gumm said.

Instead of asking to stop this landfill specifically, the citizens group asked that the commission limit the size of landfills to one hundred tons of fill.

Lake groups back .08 legislation
Read about proposed legislation
1. ...in the legal limit for boating while intoxicated
2. ...and to require operators of boats 30 feet or longer to slow down to idle speed within 300 feet of a dock, anchored vessel or pier.
3. ...violation of state statute to abandon a dock
4. ...to display 911 address information on docks on the lake.

What is the number one source of water pollution in Missouri?
ANSWER: Sediment according to "Approved TMDLs by Pollutant since October 1, 1995" quoted from
the EPA Web page.
Also see here.

$13 Million to Flow to 16 Watershed Groups

PA's Watershed Academy to sponsor its 24th free Webcast Seminar "Earth Gauge": Conveying Environmental Propaganda Through the TV Weather Report

the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' tire Dump Roundup Program is continuing its efforts to clean up and remove illegal tires from dumpsites around the state. For more information or to sign up for the program, contact the Department of Natural Resources' scrap tire unit at 1-800-361-4827 or (573) 526-3909.

Environmental group says Missouri should halt some water studies Columbia Missourian July 30, 2007

Sprucing up our waterway Joplin Globe July 28, 2007

Water, Water Everywhere, but Guilt by the Bottleful

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning a Sustainable Infrastructure Forum in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 13-14, 2007. You can help make it a success.

Volunteers gather trash at Shoal Creek Neosho Daily News July 30, 2007

‘Good Earths are hard to find‘ a lesson to learn Springfield News-Leader July 30, 2007

Program encourages Table Rock Lake septic tank pumping Springfield News-Leader July 29, 2007

Number of environmental cops decreasing Forbes July 26, 2007

VIDEO:Underground videos show ugly situation Ozarks Newsstand 07/27/2007

Shoreline management policy clarified on blog Springfield News-Leader, July 26, 2007

Asian carp FOX 2, July 25, 2007

Environmental conference to be held July 26-27 at Tan-Tar-A

Just one cove exceeds E.coli standards in 2nd test West Side News, July 24, 2007

U.S.EPA--Know A Water Efficiency Leader?

See MO DNR July 18 news release on E.Coli testing at the lake.

*River habitat restoration studied KOMU, --July 11, 2007

Mineral oil pumped from lake-- KCTV , July 11, 2007

Foundation works to conserve state’s wildlife-- Springfield News-Leader, July 12, 2007

River competitions challenge paddlers, Springfield News-Leader, July 12, 2007

Big rains swell Missouri lakes, float debris, Southeast Missourian, July 11, 2007

U.S. places restrictions on silver carp St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 2007

Don’t let corporate interests ruin area Joplin Globe, July 14, 2007

*Hogs, chickens, state parks and historic sites Joplin Globe, July 14, 2007

*Agreement reached for missile silos Joplin Globe, July 14, 2007

Residents consider how to clean North Fork River Carthage Press ,July 13, 2007

Keeping creeks clean is an upstream battle Columbia Daily Tribune, July 13, 2007

Flooding brings hazards to Truman Lake KYTV ,July 13, 2007

Town, farm face off Joplin Globe ,July 16, 2007

Reservoirs make sense, Joplin Globe ,July 14, 2007

Following storm water down the drain KYTV ,July 15, 2007

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MARCH 13, 2008 --
In Missouri, approximately 94 percent of public water supplies depends on groundwater for their drinking water. An estimated 2.2 million Missourians are drinking and relying on this valuable and renewable resource every day.

This week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources joined its partners in celebrating National Groundwater Awareness Week. Groundwater is found below the Earth's surface at depths where all the open spaces in the soil, sediment or rock are completely filled with water. Groundwater in Missouri is generally of very high quality and, for the most part, free of contamination.

The Department of Natural Resources encourages citizen to become aware of the importance of groundwater and to help protect it. "If you live south of the Missouri River, chances are your drinking water comes from groundwater," said the department's Division of Environmental Quality's Director, Daniel R. Schuette. "Caring for this valuable resource is imperative to ensure public health and economic viability is protected."

Missourians can help protect groundwater supplies by following these simple tips:

Never dump toxic or hazardous fluids into the ground or down a toilet. These substances can ultimately contaminate groundwater.
When using fertilizers and pesticides, follow the directions and use only the amount recommended on the product label.
Recycle used oil.
Use soaps and household cleansers that are nontoxic and biodegradable.
Properly locate and construct wells.

The department encourages anyone installing a drinking water well to hire only reputable, licensed well drillers. The department provides guidance on the proper construction and location of wells and can provide a list of well drillers certified to drill in Missouri. Improperly constructed wells can create a direct conduit between the surface and the underground water supply that may result in contaminated groundwater.

For more information, call the Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-361-4827 or (573) 751-5331. For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

Mar 26.2008
Lake Sun Leader

Hopes washed away: Gravois Community Betterment Association had asked for help dealing with flooding,embankment erosion along Route 5. No one showed up Tuesday

By Deanna Wheeler/Lake Sun GRAVOIS MILLS - Frustration is the first word to describe the emotions that members of the Community Betterment Association are feeling after being stood up by officials from several agencies.

Members said they had verbal confirmation that representatives from AmerenUE, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would attend their meeting Tuesday morning to help the association lay out a plan for flooding issues the village has been struggling with for a number of years.

As the rain poured down outside, it only added to their urgency and disappointment with the no-shows.

'Anytime we have heavy rains like this,' association member Frank Hurley said, pointing out the window, 'we have problems. We haven't had a real gully washer to see what real damage can happen in a number of years, since about 1993.'

More than 50 years ago, the land immediately west of the Gravois Mills bridge was owned by a man in the gravel business. Needing a flat place to keep the piles of gravel, he kept it at the foot of the creek, Paul Jensen explained.

'This was way before anybody heard about permits or conservation or anything like that,' Jensen said, estimating it happened sometime in the 1960s or 70s.

The leftover gravel formed a sandbar. The water from Collins Spring has to flow around it, through two 90-degree turns to make it under the bridge before feeding into the lake, Hurley explained. Anytime you bend water like that, it puts a lot of pressure on the riverbanks.

'A creek can only carry so much volume. If its filled with gravel or something else, it reduces the amount of volume it can hold. It puts pressure on the banks and that pressure has to go somewhere,' he said. And with pressure, is erosion.

Collins Spring ' referred to by locals as 'the creek' ' winds its way parallel to Troutdale Road before hitting those two turns. Years ago, the water rose so fast during a storm, that felled trees were picked up and carried off before anybody could stop it, Hurley said, recounting a memory. The turns in the creek caused the logs to crash into the riverbank holding up Route 5. He said he has had to push logs aside to clear a path under the bridge because it was blocked with so much debris. The association fears the next big storm will wash the land right out from under Route 5 and disable the town.

Flooding is also a common occurrence for businesses and homeowners along Collins Spring, Waters Edge Motel owner Bob Swengrosh said. The two sharp turns in the spring's path is unnatural in water flow, Hurley said. As it hits those turns, it is forced to slow down, which causes the spring to back up. Hurley said the best solution is to dig out the gravel sandbar to straighten out the creek. It would help prevent the creek from backing up and stop the pressure on the banks.

Unsure about how to progress with plans, the association asked various officials to attend the meeting to help with information and direction. Without enough influence to attract officials to their meeting to help with questions, association members wondered how far they'll get in the permitting process. 'Conservation and Corps of Engineers are the biggest obstacles. But once you get the permit from the Corps, you're in the clear,' Jensen said. 'Full steam ahead, you're still looking at a year minimum. A lot can happen between now and then.'

AmerenUE and the conservation department were not available for comment.

Contact this reporter at deannaw@lakesunleader.com

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