By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Jasper County will help members of a Carthage group with posting notices along Spring River to warn swimmers and waders of potential health hazards, members of the County Commission said Thursday.
The agreement came after the commissioners heard a presentation from representatives of the Carthage Senior High School Stream Team, which has been doing water-quality testing in the river for the past three years.
Work by the group contributed to a state decision to add that portion of Spring River — primarily as it runs through Carthage — to a list of waters considered to be “impaired” because of high bacteria content.
Wayne Christian, a high-school science teacher and stream-team sponsor, reviewed work by the group, and asked what more could be done to raise awareness and address the problem.
He said the team plans to post signs at popular swimming and wading areas along Spring River before this spring, warning swimmers that full body contact would pose a health risk.
Jim Honey, Eastern District associate commissioner, offered the use of the county highway department’s sign machine to make the placards.
Tony Moehr, director of the county health department, said the signs should be made so they could reflect changes in river quality based on the group’s testing.
“If you put up a sign and don’t change it, people aren’t going to pay any attention,” he said. “They’ll think, ‘Well, I swam here last week and nothing happened.’”
Christian said the sign postings would be based on weekly sampling. He said the team also hopes to distribute information via schools before the start of summer vacation.
Frank Martinez, another stream-team sponsor, said testing by the team has turned up the types and levels of bacteria “that they close beaches over.”
Christian also asked if testing might be done by the county and if funding might be available for the team’s supplies, which now are purchased through grant funds.
“Is there a chance of more testing?” he asked. “Our tests showed the problem in the area we sampled, but we know other parts have to be just as bad.”
Moehr said his budget does not contain funding to expand water testing. He said he is looking for areas where money might be made available for testing in Spring River and other streams.
He said the river’s designation as impaired, based on stream-team tests and some conducted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, could open the door for money for more testing “and opportunities to fix the problem.”
Moehr said the Jasper and Newton County Environmental Task Force also is looking into whether it could help or serve as a funding mechanism to expand the scope of the stream team’s work.
“That would be a way for everyone to work together,” he said.
John Bartosh, presiding commissioner, asked what could be done to improve stream quality.
“First, we have to identify the sources,” Christian said.
Moehr said efforts to protect and upgrade water quality are in place in several areas in the region, targeting waste from septic tanks and cattle grazing close to streams.
“I see the designation (as impaired) as a positive, because it opens up the possibility of money for remediation here,” he said. “The stream team has done a great job.”
