“We want to go outside of the area where the Carthage stream team has worked,” he said. “That would include other areas of Spring River, Center Creek and Turkey Creek.

“We have identified 20 sites countywide, including where Spring River enters the county and where it exits the county. We also want to sample where the North Fork runs into Spring River.”

A section of Spring River through Carthage also has been added to the state’s list of impaired streams because of elevated bacteria levels.

Moehr said the department wants to get “a better handle on what is going on within the watersheds in the county.” He noted that a Spring River watershed group could be forming, and that the group will need baseline information.

“We hope people are assuming that most natural waters have the potential to have high levels of bacterial contamination,” he said.

Shoal Creek meeting

A meeting of the Shoal Creek Watershed Partnership is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at the Lampo Building, 500 E. Spring St., in Neosho.

The group will talk about a strategic management plan for the watershed and watershed restoration, according to Jerry Carter, chairman of the group’s executive committee.