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New Rock Port Welcome Center Opening June 27 – features ground source heating systems and more!

Facility also educates about oil and gas production in the region

Southbound motorists traveling Interstate 29 near Rock Port, Missouri this Wednesday, June 27 are encouraged to visit a brand new facility to welcome them to the state. The Rock Port Welcome Center in Atchison County officially will be opened to the public at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 27, during a formal dedication ceremony, according to the Missouri Division of Tourism and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The theme of the new Welcome Center is “Energy Conservation and Alternative Energy:  Past & Present.” Working with Missouri Western State University, Northwest Missouri State University, and various historical and energy experts, informational panels throughout the building educate visitors about energy use and production. The site does more than just educate. Energy conservation and sustainability was designed into the project and will save Missourians thousands in the years to come. In fact, a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification is being sought for the project. Some of the numerous site designs include these energy efficiencies:

    • Ground source heat pump
    • Energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors
    • Hot water circulator
    • Sand-filtered waste water treatment

The welcome center is located in a region of the state that is one of the largest Oil and Gas in Missourinatural gas and oil production areas in Missouri, known as the Forest City Basin.  Oil was discovered in Missouri shortly after the Civil War when water wells were being drilled near Kansas City. Missouri has seen a marked increase in the production of oil in the last two fiscal years. Fiscal year 2011 figures total 112,508 barrels of oil produced. Missouri has potentially large quantities of “unconventional” energy resources that include: coalbed methane, oil sand and oil shale.

So, be sure to see the display in the welcome center that addresses oil and gas in Missouri.  Learn more about oil and gas in Missouri.

Also, read about the energy efficient makeover of our facilities in Rolla in which we installed ground source heat pump systems, energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, and Low-E windows that enable us to dramatically increase energy efficiency.

The new center is located on I-29 just south of the town of Rock Port. (Please note that because the welcome center is designed to service travelers just entering Missouri, it is accessible only from southbound I-29.)  Read the MoDOT news release.  –Joe

 

 

Posted on Jun 27, 2012

Welcome

Division of Geology and Land Survey

Division of Geology and Land Survey, 111 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, Mo.

Welcome to our blog.  For more than 156 years, geologists have served Missourians endeavoring to provide products for professional, technical and educational use. We continue to also provide technical analysis for many geologic investigations and issues in the state, assist citizens in interpretation and understanding of our subsurface resources, and serve as the technical assistance agency for the department. We have served the citizens of Missouri since 1853 and are proud of the expertise of our agency.

A primary responsibility of our agency is to investigate and report on the state’s geological resources. We create geologic maps of bedrock and unconsolidated materials, and develop maps that identify areas susceptible to geologic hazards. This includes areas that are collapse-prone or subject to earthquake damage and landslides.

We ascertain that new water wells are constructed to minimum standards as set by the state regulations to ensure that our groundwater resources are protected from contamination due to poor well construction.

At our McCracken Core Library and Research Center, we have more than 2.5 million feet of drill core samples cataloged and stored for the public to examine.  Drill cores are used for the study of the rock layers beneath the surface, to aid in the definition of the physical properties of aquifers, to provide data for waste disposal site studies, to assist in characterizing our mineral resources, and for educational purposes. Examination of rock core in this library saves considerable time and money and often eliminates the need for costly, new drill holes. The McCracken Core Library is one of the largest such collections in the nation and is open to the public, by appointment.

You are also welcome to visit where you will you will find educational displays in our Ed Clark Museum of Missouri Geology. These include rocks, minerals, fossils, and descriptions of the geologic history of Missouri.

However, if you are not able to stop by our Rolla headquarters, please peruse our blog and website to learn more about us and how we may assist you.  And perhaps we will meet you on a site where we spend a good deal of time outside the office working with citizens.  – Joe Gillman, state geologist and Geology and Land Survey Division director, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Posted on Jun 29, 2011