Thu, Nov 26 2009
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State proposes streams for possible exemption from bacteria standards If approved, the streams will be exempted from standards for fecal coliform and E. coli.
The state standard now allows no more than 200 colonies of fecal coliform or 126 colonies of E. coli per 100 milliliters of water if the streams are used for swimming or other forms of “whole body contact” in which a person might be immersed and water could get into eyes, ears or mouths. The standard is 1,800 colonies of fecal coliform and 1,134 for secondary contact if the stream is determined to be used for secondary purposes, such as wading or fishing, Hoke said. The streams are proposed for the exemptions, according to Sherburne, because the state considers them “too shallow for recreational use.” “If in fact people use the stream for recreation, then the state can’t exempt them,” he added. Jason Harris, the Mindenmines wastewater and emergency operations director, said they are working to meet each of the standards set by state and federal regulators, but he said he was not aware of any recreational use of Glendale Fork into which the city discharges wastewater. “It is probably two inches deep,” he said, and dry much of the time. “It is a small, small stream ... at the most, maybe some deer hunters or turkey hunters had to walk through it with their boots on.” Some of those streams being considered also are losing streams, Hoke noted, which means bacteria standards will still apply to protect groundwater because of the possible contamination of drinking water even if the stream isn’t a candidate for recreational use. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment is calling on residents who use these streams or have used them at any time since 1975 to let the DNR know. The DNR will make recommendations for exemptions to the Missouri Clean Water Commission, which is expected to make a ruling this fall, Sherburne said. The state also will continue accepting comments after that date, and another public comment period will be held after the proposed rules are drafted. “We are committed to protecting the (public’s) health and safety, but at the same time, we need to be careful not to put small communities and ratepayers into a position to pay higher fees to protect uses that are not attainable and do not exist,” Hoke added. Andy Ostmeyer is the metro editor for The Joplin Globe. Web sites To learn more, or to fill out recreational use comment forms, go to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov, or go the Web site of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment at www.moenviron.org. 
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