E.P.A. Makes Final Decision on List of Impaired Waters for Missouri

(Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 16, 2009) - E.P.A. has released its final decision on Missouri's 2008 list of impaired waters. After reviewing public comments, E.P.A. is approving Missouri's decision to delist 4 water bodies and restoring 15 water bodies to the list as impaired. These 15 water bodies were found to be impaired by bacteria, chloride, sediments and other pollutants.

In its August 6, 2009, decision letter, E.P.A. approved most of the state's list and notified the public that it would accept review on the suggested decision to restore additional waters. E.P.A. accepted comments for 60 days and received letters from several nonprofit organizations and state agencies.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provided additional information supporting the delisting of 4 water bodies. E.P.A. is restoring 15 water bodies to the list, resulting in a total of 285 water bodies identified as impaired on Missouri's 2008 list.

MDNR submitted its 2008 impaired waters list to E.P.A. for review and approval. The Clean Water Act and federal regulations require E.P.A. to review the state's list to determine if the state reasonably considered existing and readily accessible water quality-related data and information, and reasonably identified waters to be listed.

EPA's decision letter, which includes the cover letter to the state, decision document and a table of the final 2008 list of impaired water bodies, is accessible at www.epa.gov/region07/news_events/legal.

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