The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its final decision on Missouri’s 2008 list of impaired waters. After reviewing public comments, EPA is approving Missouri’s decision to de-list four water bodies and restore 15 water bodies to the list as impaired. These 15 water bodies 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 non-profit organizations and state agencies.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provided additional information supporting the de-listing of four water bodies. EPA is restoring 15 water bodies to the list, resulting in a total of 285 water bodies 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.
Source: U.S. EPA
