Swimming

[Samkam1]

Bluegill/sunfish like to peck at the bubbles on swimmer's legs or body where body hair traps the air. Those Brown or Painted water snakes are darn curious and will swim right up to you while you are in the water and scare the bejeesus out of you. They'll also approach your boat while fishing and I've had to splash the end of the rod in the water at them to shoo them off. I'm not seeing as many of them this year as in years previous.

That pollution problem at Lake Ozark has probably been going on for years, especially in party cove. Hope they all don't start coming to TR instead, we are already seeing more of those enormous boats here over the past few years. That's one of the few good things about this lousy economy, the show-off's can't afford to buy them. I did read an on-line article in the Post-Dispatch that said business was way down at Lake Ozark even before the delayed e-coli information was released.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...E7?OpenDocument

Makes you wonder about our "public servants" in Jeff. City.....

I worked installing septic systems for years and I am still a licensed installer in 5 counties though I have changed lines of work. Since I am an avtive ourdoorsman and angler, I am very interested in this topic and studies that I have read indicate that the rising levels of pollution in T-rock and LOZ are due to the vast numbers of failing septic systems around the lakes. I feel it should be mandated that anyone with a septic system that is failing or that is 8 + years old should replace or repair the system. In a failing system, the sewage is no longer treated at the surface like it should be, but it goes straight down the path of least resistance and directly into the lake or river. Infrared thermal imaging taken over the last 10-15 years show a massive increase in bacteria growth caused by the failing septic systems in these bodies of water every year. That said, many residences surrounding the lakes are built on rocks and they cannot install a standard $3000-5000 pipe and gravel septic system. They have to install specialized pressure systems that pump the sewage away from the rocks to a lateral field or filtered treatment tank. These systems can cost anywhere from $15,000 on up to $30,000 depending on the system required. So, it becomes a great expense to inspect, replace, install these aging systems around the lake, but to me that expense is well worth preserving the water systems we so much enjoy. What will the lakes be like for our children in 10-15 years? Not good according to the data and what is being done to fix this issue.

Just some thoughts!

SK

[dtrs5kprs]

Since we now have a swimming thread...is Moonshine Beach open? Last I saw on the COE site was a delay in the planned opening. Heading down with the kids Sunday and there will be much weeping on their part if it's closed 2 years in a row.

[ozark trout fisher]

You are correct. Here is a classic example that our safety and health is now a concern "after the fact". For ten years they have been testing the waters and finally they come across higher then normal levels and what do they do?....they panic because the almighty "dollar" is in danger, not human safety.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/...li-lake-ozarks/

Agency withheld Lake of the Ozarks report on E. coli

Thursday, July 16, 2009 | 12:30 p.m. CDT

BY The Associated Press

OSAGE BEACH — A state agency has acknowledged it withheld for one month a report that showed the Lake of the Ozarks had unsafe levels of E. coli.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said it withheld the report in May because of concern that releasing it would hurt tourism and business around the lake, The Kansas City Star reported Thursday.

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Agency withheld Lake of the Ozarks report on E. coli

But some say the DNR's decision to not immediately release the report may have endangered public health.

Donna Swall, executive director of a citizens group that sampled the lake May 26 for the DNR, said she pleaded with state officials to release the information.

"We all thought something must be wrong," Swall said.

The presence of E. coli, which is found in the intestines of animals, indicates the water may have been in contact with sewage or animal wastes. Someone with a cut or open wound can be infected by the water. If it is swallowed, a person might have flu symptoms or even die.

Heavy rains in May washed bacteria into the lake, which has since returned to safe levels. The report was not released until June 26, and it reported that lower levels had been found in June samples. But in May, the number of high samples were more than the total number over the last two years, Swall said.

DNR spokeswoman Susanne Medley said the agency delayed the release because it didn't want to the public to panic.

"We wanted to make sure we understood the problem," Medley said. "Business and tourism was a consideration."

Earl Pabst, a deputy DNR director, said this week that he didn't tell the new administration of Gov. Jay Nixon about the monitoring program, so officials panicked when they saw the samples.

"I take responsibility for this," Pabst said. "I failed to brief the new administration. They had questions, and it frankly took a little while to answer those. It took some internal education."

Ken Midkiff, a clean-water expert and author, said the report should have been released about May 28 when the danger was imminent.

"All the reasons DNR gave for not releasing the report have to do with the economy," Midkiff said. "The Department of Natural Resources is supposed to protect water quality and the environment."

The public was notified that two beaches in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park were shut down, but people were not told about many other areas in the lake that tested high.

The state standard for E. coli is 126 colonies per 100 milliliters of water. More than half of the 60 samples taken May 26 exceeded that standard, state records show. At least two samples were 19 times above the standard.

Many Missouri lakes are not monitored for E. coli. But Lake of the Ozarks has been monitored since Ameren Corp. agreed in 2007 to provide $15,000 a year for five years to monitor for E. coli as part of a state settlement over a dam failure.

The Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance, a group of volunteers with oversight by DNR employees, samples the lake six times a year during the swimming season.

Swall said that on June 12, two top DNR officials told alliance members that the new DNR administration appointed by Nixon was unaware of the monitoring program. But even after they were shown the report, it wasn't released.

»Contact an editor with corrections or additional information

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Comments

Greg Collins July 16, 2009 | 6:05 p.m.

Transparency, accountability and professionalism ... all missing on this one.

(Report Comment)

John Schultz July 16, 2009 | 6:34 p.m.

So the government won't tell you that there is a possible danger, nor (I presume) are they doing anything to find possible sewage leaks/dumping that can cause such high readings. As a Libertarian, one of the few roles that I feel government should be involved in is keeping my property or public property safe from some yahoo who allows an issue on their property to go off-site and cause damages. Two strikes against state government here, at the least.

I am not one who dislikes government agencies just because they are part of the government, but this is sickening. Whoever is responsible for this cover up should lose their job over this. I mean it. I also wouldn't be opposed to hitting whoever in the DNR who was involved with criminal charges, assuming they applied. It is simply unacceptable to put tourism before public safety.

[motoman]

Since we now have a swimming thread...is Moonshine Beach open? Last I saw on the COE site was a delay in the planned opening. Heading down with the kids Sunday and there will be much weeping on their part if it's closed 2 years in a row.

-

dtrs, I'm pretty sure Moonshine Beach is open. My boss went down last weekend. But, double check just to be certain. (I'm 97% certain that's where he said he went? )