Protecting Water Quality Makes Sense

The Joplin Globe, Sunday, July 24, 2005, proclaimed that Protecting Water Quality Makes Sense. 'The states of Missouri and Oklahoma have good reason for worry that chicken litter can forever change the water quality of their streams and rivers. Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has filed a lawsuit against 14 poultry companies in Arkansas to seek money to handle the cleanup of polluted waterways.'
'The poultry industry, which unsuccessfully tried to get Oklahoma lawmakers to block Edmondson's suit, are worried that their costs could run into the millions of dollars.'
'The chicken industry is big business, contributing $2 billion annually to the economy. A lawsuit might radically change that if the industry loses. A more satisfactory approach would be for the poultry industry and the state of Oklahoma to find common ground for developing a long-term, mutually workable solution.'
http://www.joplinglobe.com/archives/story.php?story_id=106007

Wouldn't it be nice (not to mention strategic, efficient and a great use of tax payers dollars) if Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson met with Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline to collaborate on developing a coordinated solution to the accelerating contamination of our creeks, streams, rivers, tributaries and rivers. Doesn't it make sense that each State be talking with the other with regard to new and existing operating permits, and water discharge violations within the poultry industry. It all comes back to the watershed concept, what happens upstream always ends up downstream, too. The Joplin Globe article is underscoring the concept that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

'As a cautionary tale, we would suggest that the states take a look at Northeast Oklahoma and the 40-square-mile Tar Creek Superfund site. The environmental hazards created by the abandoned lead and zinc mines - concentrations of lead damaging to children under 6; mountains of chats from which winds whip heavy metal-laden dust to cover the land; the potential for contamination of water, air and soil; and the prospect of dangerous cave-ins - did not happen overnight. It took decades of neglect.

Lead mining was a vital industry at the turn of the century and throughout World War II. Had mine and smelter owners been better stewards of the land or had federal and state governments taken a more active role at the time in protecting and restoring the environment, Northeast Oklahoma might be a vastly different place today. Such hindsight can provide the platform for taking steps to protect the environment today from other industries that can cause serious damage.'

Survey Results from Watershed Meeting

Spring River Basin Water Quality Assessment
Summary of Survey Responses from Attendees
May 24, 2005

1) What do you use the local rivers and streams for?

• Floating, fishing, swimming, recreation.
• Habitat, fish and invertebrate; aesthetics.
• Canoe, fish, wade, exercise dog, picnic, paint, photo, bird, animal and bug watching
• Swimming, floating, fishing.
• Recreation, education.
• Stormwater runoff and wastewater effluent.
• Fishing and pleasure/canoe/swimming; wildlife and recreation usage mostly.
• Fishing and own property on river.
• Fishing.
• Drinking water raw source.
• Recreation; drinking water supply.
• Boating, fishing, swimming.
• Fishing and swimming for personal use. Cooling water intake for business use.
• Floating, fishing.
• In my job I monitor water quality. Previously I like to fish a lot and swim.
• Recreational boating, fishing, spiritual maintenance and renewal.
• To drink.
• Recreational activities and work-related concerns.
• Boating, camping, fishing and scenic beauty.
• Water supply, wildlife habitat, flood management.

2) Why are the rivers in this watershed important to you?

• I live in this watershed. Also work for regulatory agency responsible for water quality.
• Important part of the ecosystem.
• All
• Important recreation source; long-term ecological health.
• They are important to all of us.
• It’s part of the environment, and a possible source of drinking water.
• We own land along Spring River into Oklahoma. Kansas state line for smiles (east side) and some land on 5-mile creek flowing into Spring River also.
• Impact on treatment ability and cost.
• Simply for the sake of the water use; use by future generations; current use/loss of use due to quality.
• Recreational resource; only surface water source for possible future drinking water resource; irrigation.
• I want it to be safe to eat the fish and to swim the water; aesthetic reasons; retain ready availability of water.
• It is very important to protect water quality (surface and groundwater). Water quality is a good indicator of the overall health of ecosystems.
• Good water quality is key to wildlife perpetuation and quality of life for humans. Poor stream water ultimately affects groundwater quality also.
• Surface waters as a resource for: water supplies; ecological services to the environment; and aesthetics.
• Recreational, economic development, water supply, it’s the right thing to do!
• It is always important to be concerned when it is in your backyard.
• Boating, camping, fishing and scenic beauty.
• Needed for above uses primarily (e.g., Water supply, wildlife habitat, flood management).

3) What are any activities in the watershed that cause you concern that you would like state and federal regulatory agencies to know about?

• Mining releases – water and sediments; cattle and poultry ‘ out-of-date sewage treatment facilities.
• Out dated practices of disposal by individuals; opportunistic business and industry seeing state as vulnerable because it lacks progressive and or established limits, watchdogs, penalties and “permits” the bad. This is not a wasteland
• Grants and programs. Now people don’t know or understand, so no use. Drain stencil program - 3 yrs - Joplin City has none and no one cares even though the ___ it. Birds with messed up feet??? Dead and alive.
• Livestock watering in streams listed for whole-body contact.
• CAFO; poor development management.
• Dumping and lack of monitoring of septic tanks and field within Jasper County.
• Concern is the Baxter Springs sewer when unofficially dumping raw sewage off and on into the River plus past damage from Jayhawk plant and Case Turkey Farm – pollutes badly in the Spring River.
• Baxter Springs, KS sewer.
• Drug activity, trash in Walnut bottoms
• Any introduction of E-Coli (e.g., chicken and cattle ranching); possible introduction of zebra mussel by recreational boaters; pesticide/herbicide runoff from farmlands.
• Dumping (boat sewage pumping), solid waste dumping, point sources with inadequate permit limits, non-point sources (litter application and septic systems); composting facility east of Miami, Oklahoma.
• Trash dumping in and along the river; possible leakage of municipal waste from sewer systems; feedlots, poultry houses, etc.
• CAFOs, mining wastes, septic systems, agriculture in general, development.
• Wastewater spills/discharges into River from municipalities and poultry processors and runoff from poultry litter application.
• Uncoordinated activities cause concern. People/groups doing “things” without awareness of what others are doing.
• Non-point sources, sewage (public and non-public), contamination from any sources – residential, industries, CAFOs, etc.
• Spreading manure; water usage, even surface water is decreasing; springs are drying up; contamination with commercial fertilizer.
• Agricultural/municipal/industrial point and non-point source contamination; historical mining.

4) Do you have any other suggestions for state and federal regulators?

• Work smart, efficient, cooperate instead of duplicate.
• Educate reporters so they report and write correct concerns and information; press release direct information for articles. Water users – enforce recycling of water – self-regulate and be responsible for their own pollution and that cost. Educate and help folks get up to speed and proactive. Adopt and use progressive, up-to-date practices and brake offenders of their poor practices and let forward thinkers improve quality of life for mid-westerners. Look to industry and business as a future for jobs and tax dollars. Stop tolerating the ugly, damaging thinking still tolerated in this area. Control sales of poor choice products and encourage/make better available. Reconsider water rights – “pollute no water;” clean users get priority, self-regulating get priority. Network, network – watchdogs and agencies so all informed and share energies – websites with searchable databases. Update technology and tools. Educate Garland 4 users about risk to water.
• Hats-off the basin-wide approach; please don’t forget long-term continuous monitoring.
• Develop more stringent requirement for county health departments in regard to regulation and monitoring of rural sewage sources.
• Stream Team/Blue Thumb needs organized to monitor the Spring River from Riverton to down to Twin Bridges.
• Keep eye on this River.
• Standardized collection and reporting methods.
• Check for Heavy Metals in Spring River and tributaries; regulation of septic tank pumpers.
• Develop a central clearinghouse for water quality data.
• Enforce the laws!
• Keep pushing or pulling or what ever you need to do. Blog for interested parties (posting privileges assigned by major agencies federal, state and local).
• Today’s meeting is a great start. Must set-up watershed organization to coordinate issues, projects and information.
• Restrict wells to residences; agribusiness should use their own impoundments; keep CAFOs small and disguise them throughout the state; restrict pesticides.
• Work to improve coordination of efforts at federal, state and local levels.

The opportunities for improving Spring River are (obviously) pretty overwhelming. What are your thoughts? Where do we start? What needs to be done first? What project would you willing to help with?

Wait Just a Minute!

I can't believe that the Missouri Clean Water Commission is considering an exemption for Hudson Creek in Barry County, from meeting the clean water standards set by the Federal Clean Water Act of 1982. Something is not right here. Hudson Creek runs into Capps Creek, which runs into Shoal Creek (a part of the water supply for Neosho and Joplin), which runs into Spring River. Hello, this is all part of the Spring River Watershed.

Wait just a minute! Don't you think that EPA Region 6, EPA Region 7, United States Geological Survey, United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Fish & Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife ConservationMissouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Office of Attorney General, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, and the Cherokee, Eastern Shawnee, Miami, Ottawa and Wyandotte Indian tribes might have a little input into this decision. They are all involved in trying to stop the polution and contamination of the Spring River and its tributaries.

Why in the world would the Missouri Clean Water Commission be even considering an exemption of any creek, stream or waterway in the State of Missouri. Don't they know the concept of a watershed? What happens upstream ends up downstream. Those interested parties concerned about protecting the Spring River Watershed, need to get their voices heard, in front of the Missouri Clean Water Commission, immediately.

The Joplin Globe, Wednesday, July 6, and Thursday, July 7, 2005, report that people who want to comment about Hudson Creek or any other stream that has been targeted for exemption may submit their comments to: Marlene Kirchner, Clean Water Commission Secretary, PO Box 176, Jefferson City, MO. 65102. Comments will be accepted until August 24. http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=195175, http://www.joplinglobe.com/archives/story.php?story_id=104008

Let's get this 'exemption' stopped now! This is absolutely contrary to everything positive that is going on in the Spring River Watershed.