MDC is really working hard.

[snagged in outlet 3]

13 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Statewide "intensive" water quality tests were done on all Missouri impoundments for several years beginning in 2012.  They closed swimming beaches here on Lake O for a few years until the economic effects of doing so began to sting-a-little.....Then they just quit doing the testing, blamed in on "GEESE", and determined the issue was "solved".  😅

That’s when we saw a big influx of people to Tablerock from LOZ.  Geese….   Right😆

[fishinwrench]

8 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

That’s when we saw a big influx of people to Tablerock from LOZ.  Geese….   Right😆

I threw a big and loud fit when they proclaimed that.   Jack Uxa and a few other lake area guides still hate me because of my voice on that issue.    Won't send me business, and roll their eyes whenever my name is mentioned. 🙄

As long as they can still catch bass & crappie then bygod this lake is as "pure as the driven snow"!  And anyone claiming otherwise is just a crackpot.  

In their defense it's true that nothing can or will ever be done to rectify it.....So I suppose it's best to just ignore it and not stir the pot.

[tjm]

Yes something could be done, but you are right that it won't be. Simply stopping the input of most pollutants will let a river clean itself over time, I've seen it happen.

[Terrierman]

35 minutes ago, tjm said:

Yes something could be done, but you are right that it won't be. Simply stopping the input of most pollutants will let a river clean itself over time, I've seen it happen.

James River.

[tjm]

I was thinking primarily of the Blackstone that was full of all the waste from a hundred  plating factories and various other industries housed in 100 year old facilities, had a perpetual glossy film on it and  caused a new SA fly line to crack in less than a dozen outings. And in five years became semi-clean and in about 12 years could support stocked trout and continued to improve after that. But I could also include Little Sugar Creek and it 's recuperation after sewage improvements in a couple of cities that drain into it. 

What was the major pollution in the James?

[BLUEWATER]

This is a good thread.

[BLUEWATER]

On 1/3/2024 at 9:56 PM, fishinwrench said:

Lake O's fish health is surprisingly excellent.   But I personally have been noticing the decreasing number of damsel & dragonflies. They have been on the decline since the late 80's.   And the number of frogs is worrisome, because they are downright rare now.  

It isn't hard to recognize a truly HEALTHY body of water.   And sometimes you need to be around a healthy lake....and then come home....to realize what's missing.   You can spend a week on Lake O during the Spring -Summer without getting a single mosquito bite.   While that's lovely.... that's just not right.  It's not proper nature, the way I was brought up to recognize it.  

Back in the early seventies I would be invited to the McDonnel Douglas Fishing club, Gravois arm I believe, maybe Bogue Creek.  We could see the bottom past 10' in most places.  I noticed a couple of times that a small barge would come by and spray the water for squiters. No bugs, no frogs.  There is also a high BOD (biological oxygen demand) on that water. It's not as healthy as some want to promote. 

[fishinwrench]

49 minutes ago, BLUEWATER said:

I noticed a couple of times that a small barge would come by and spray the water for squiters. No bugs, no frogs.  There is also a high BOD (biological oxygen demand) on that water. It's not as healthy as some want to promote

Yeah they used to spray the backends of coves with DIESEL FUEL of all things 🙄 before somebody decided that wasn't so smart.   

Couldn't have a prominent vacation spot that was overrun with mosquito's.   

[nomolites]

19 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Yeah they used to spray the backends of coves with DIESEL FUEL of all things 🙄 before somebody decided that wasn't so smart.   

Couldn't have a prominent vacation spot that was overrun with mosquito's.   

If I had a nickel for every gallon of diesel or bad gas that has been applied to roads, driveways, fencerows, etc. I’d be sitting pretty flush right now.  Can’t have any of them weeds about either….

Mike

[tjm]

Water Quality good or bad is on DNR. The people that control mining, sewage and Parks. Large scale (state wide) water testing is likely a Federal requirement for funding of one sort or another.

MDC only has authority over the wildlife in the water, and any testing they do is just to determine what effect DNR's water has on the wildlife.