Skip to content

Tag Archives: Water Protection Program

Make a poster to honor your tap water

Contest entries are should be postmarked by March 25, 2013.

In recognition and celebration of Drinking Water Week, May 5-11, 2013, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the American Water Works Association are holding a poster contest for Missouri students in the fifth grade.

A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. We often take water resources for granted unless we are living through a drought or when depleted water supplies threaten a community’s future. Water plays a vital role in our daily lives, and this year we are celebrating what only tap water can deliver.

The artwork size can be no larger than 11 by 17 inches. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners:  $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.  Contest entries should be postmarked by March 25.

Each entry should have the student’s name, the teacher’s name and the school name, address and telephone number on the back. Students should also be sure to sign the front of the artwork.

Entries will be judged on three criteria: how original the entry is, how well the concept is executed, and how well the poster relates to public water supplies. The poster should convey a message celebrating tap water!

Mail entries to: Susan Bloomer, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Water Protection Program, P.O. Box, 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176.  For more information, call 1-800-361-4827 or 573-526-1825 or visit www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/dw-index.htm.

Posted on Feb 28, 2013

Department Encourages Public Water Supplies to Monitor Water Levels

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is urging the state’s 1,500 community water systems to closely monitor their water supplies and implement water conservation measures if shortfalls are anticipated. 

The prolonged dry spell mean many of Missouri’s water systems are experiencing substantial increases in customer demand for water at a time when the supply of water for many systems is declining.  The lack of rain means water levels in lakes, reservoirs, rivers and even wells are dropping to a greater degree than in normal years.

Approximately a quarter of Missouri’s water systems have requested their customers voluntarily conserve water by cutting back or eliminating lawn and garden watering, car washing and other non-essential uses.  A smaller number have issued mandatory orders requiring their customers to stop such uses.  

Cole County Public Water Supply District #1 issued a voluntary conservation order in early July by asking customers to alternate days they water their lawn, and to water only in the early morning hours.  District officials report there was an immediate drop-off in water use of approximately 12 percent. 

The department is keeping in regular contact with all water suppliers and urges them to regularly measure water levels in wells and to monitor the capacity of their water supply lakes and reservoirs.  If shortages are anticipated in coming months, the department urges systems to implement conservation measures as soon as possible. 

The department urges any public water supply experiencing drought-related problems to contact its Public Drinking Water Branch at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-5331.

Posted on Aug 23, 2012

Department of Natural Resources to host meeting on plans to protect St. Louis waterways

The Department of Natural Resources will hold a public meeting Sept. 12 to discuss draft plans to improve water quality in five metropolitan waterways in St. Louis County. The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Road in Ellisville

The plans are part of total maximum daily load studies, which describe pollutant reductions needed to improve water quality in the targeted waterways.  The five waterways addressed by the studies include

  • Watkins Creek.
  • Gravois Creek.
  • Creve Coeur Creek.
  • Fishpot Creek.
  • Coldwater Creek.

The federal Clean Water Act requires the department to establish a list of impaired waters and to develop improvement plans for those waterways included on the list. The department determined these five waterways do not meet water quality standards due to bacteria levels and placed them on the 2010 list of impaired waters.

The study process works best when local citizens come together to understand and identify problems in their watershed, and help develop the most effective solution for reducing water pollution and developing a successful watershed management plan.

Links to the studies and supporting documents are available online at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/tmdl.  The public is encouraged to participate in this process if they have concerns or if they would like to provide support for the process. For more information, call the department’s Water Protection Program at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-7428.

Posted on Aug 23, 2012

Department of Natural Resources unveils online permit application

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources now offers land disturbance permits online.


Land disturbance permits are one of the most commonly requested permits from the department and Missourians can now apply online and receive them in minutes instead of weeks. 


The new system, called ePermitting, provides builders, contractors and developers with easy and convenient online access to apply for, pay for and print a land disturbance permit 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the convenience of their home, office or jobsite.


A land disturbance permit is required for any project that results in the disturbance of one acre of land or more. The purpose of the permit is to make sure steps are taken by the permit holder to prevent erosion from the site from polluting local waterways.
Once the department has had time to assess online permitting for land disturbance permits, work will begin to add other permits to the online process.
The department has developed a series of orientation videos designed to help permit seekers with the online process. A link on the department home page, www.dnr.mo.gov, will take visitors to the permit page, or they can go directly to the page: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/epermit/help.htm

Posted on Jul 19, 2012

Drinking Water Week Poster Contest Results

In celebration of Drinking Water Week, the department, in conjunction with the American Water Works Association, held a poster contest.

  •  Addison Luetkemeyer, a fifth grade student at Immaculate Conception School in Jefferson City, took first place and will receive $300. 
  • Kelsie Backues, a fifth grade student at Immaculate Conception School in Jefferson City, took second place and will receive $200. 
  • Katie Kriz and Sara Salarno, fifth grade students at Union Chapel Elementary in Kansas City, took third place and will each receive $50. 

The winners were chosen from hundreds of entries submitted by fifth grade students across Missouri.  For more information, or to view the winning posters, visitwww.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/dw-index.htm, or call the Department of Natural Resources’ Public Drinking Water Branch at 800-361-4827 or 573-526-1825.  

Posted on May 11, 2012

Skip the bottle

In celebration of Drinking Water Week, May 6-12, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is urging Missourians to forego bottled water and choose a more environmental friendly alternative – tap water.

The benefits of tap water are numerous

  • It’s cheaper than bottled water; a gallon of tap water costs about a penny.
  • It’s better for the environment; most water bottles end up in a landfill.
  • It’s safe, and tested far more extensively than bottled water; in fact many brands of bottled water are straight-up tap water.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Public Drinking Water Branch regulates public water supplies in Missouri, and overall, public water systems in Missouri have an extraordinary compliance record.  Each water system is responsible for monitoring conditions at individual water plants and is required to employ trained operators certified by the Department of Natural Resources.  Learn more about how the Department of Natural Resources protects your drinking water by visiting http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/dw-index.htm.

Posted on May 09, 2012

Happy Drinking Water Week

Happy Drinking Water Week!  Today is the official kickoff of Drinking Water Week, a nationwide celebration of our most precious resource. 

Drinking Water Week recognizes Missouri’s public drinking water systems for the work they do in providing Missourians with safe drinking water.  A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. Drinking Water Week is a time to pay tribute to what only tap water can deliver.

Posted on May 07, 2012

Don’t Kick the Bucket!

On March 5, the department’s 24-hour Environmental Emergency Response Hotline received a call from the Missouri Department of Transportation regarding an abandoned five-gallon bucket on East bound I-70 in the St. Louis area.

The label on the bucket indicated that the contents were a corrosive industrial cleaner. The bucket appeared to be about 1/3 full. Emergency staff responded and over packed the container, placing it into the abandoned container storage facility at the office. Staff will characterize the liquid and neutralize if necessary.

If you see a leaking or abandoned container, or witness an environmental emergency, please call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 573-634-2436. Do not touch the material or abandoned containers. An environmental emergency poses an immediate threat to the public health or the well-being of the environment.

Emergency response is the department’s front line of defense against significant and imminent hazardous substance releases that impact public safety and the environment. Duty officers monitor the statutorily mandated Spill Reporting Hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 

Staff provide technical assistance regarding the chemical and necessary cleanup actions, work with the responsible party to ensure that proper cleanup is completed and impact to the public health and environment is minimized, conduct notifications to various agencies, and determine if an on-site response is needed by emergency staff.

On average, the Environmental Emergency Response section receives more than 1,500 incident calls and responds to nearly 450 hazardous substance emergencies each year.

An environmental concern is a situation that you believe threatens the environment, such as a trash dump or discarded waste tires in a stream.

 

Posted on Mar 14, 2012

Documentary Explains Ozark Landforms

The Ozarks Resource Center based in West Plains, is a nonprofit organization that promotes learning and hands-on education about the watersheds and environmental issues in south central Missouri.    In 2010, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources provided the center with a $10,000 grant to create the documentary Karst in the Ozarks.   

This 18-minute documentary explains how landforms in the Ozarks developed over time resulting in numerous rivers, caves and springs. The video also demonstrates how Ozark groundwater is vulnerable to pollution from nonpoint source pollution such as stormwater runoff.

The video, aimed at middle and high school students, covers basic information about Karst features, such as sinkholes, caves and losing streams, and shows how human interactions within a Karst system affects water quality.  The video also outlines how to avoid nonpoint source pollution in a Karst environment and discusses cave species like the endangered Ozark cavefish, gray bat, and Tumbling Creek cave snail.

The video can be viewed on the Bryant Watershed Education Project website at   www.watersheds.org/earth/karstvideo.html.

Posted on Nov 01, 2011

Learn about your drinking water

Do you know what’s in your drinking water? If not, the department is urging consumers to find out more about their drinking water quality by reviewing a report from their local water system.

Public water supplies were required to make the Consumer Confidence Reports available to their customers by July 1. The reports describe the water sources used by the systems and identify any contaminants found during routine drinking water testing. The reports also inform consumers of the water system’s compliance with other drinking water-related rules and provide general information about drinking water and health, enabling Missourians to make practical, knowledgeable decisions about their health and environment.

To assist utilities in producing the reports, the department created an informational packet that contains a template and tips on developing an informative report and making it available to customers. The Consumer Confidence Reports also provide suppliers with an opportunity to explain how they protect the community’s drinking water supplies in order to build their relationship with the customer.

All community water systems are required to make a Consumer Confidence Report available to all of their customers. These systems include cities, water districts, subdivisions, mobile home parks and other water systems serving at least 25 residents. A copy of the report will be sent by mail, published in the local newspaper or posted at the water system’s office, public buildings and the local library. Large water systems serving more than 10,000 people must deliver each customer a copy of the report directly and smaller systems may use one of the other delivery or notification options. Several water systems post the report on the web.

The department encourages the public to read their water system’s Consumer Confidence Report and become better informed about their drinking water. Any citizen served by a community water system who has not received a Consumer Confidence Report should call their water provider and request a copy.

Posted on Aug 04, 2011