Missouri Removes 4, Restores 15 Waterbodies to Impaired List
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its final decision on Missouri’s 2008 list of impaired waters, according to a Dec. 16 press release.
After reviewing public comments, EPA is approving Missouri’s decision to delist four waterbodies and is restoring 15 waterbodies to the list as impaired. These 15 waterbodies were found to be impaired by bacteria, chloride, sediments and other pollutants.
In its Aug. 6, 2009, decision letter, EPA approved most of the state’s list and notified the public that it would accept comment on the proposed decision to restore additional waters. EPA accepted comments for 60 days and received letters from several nonprofit organizations and state agencies.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provided additional information supporting the delisting of four waterbodies. EPA is restoring 15 waterbodies to the list, resulting in a total of 285 waterbodies identified as impaired on Missouri’s 2008 list.
MDNR submitted its 2008 impaired waters list to EPA for review and approval. The Clean Water Act and federal regulations require EPA to review the state’s list to determine if the state reasonably considered existing and readily available water quality-related data and information and reasonably identified waters to be listed.