The Newsletter of the St. Louis Confluence Riverkeeper

• Update about Labadie Ameren Power Plant issue
• River Soundings program
• Water testing results
• The coming year

THANK YOU.

To all of you who have sent a year end donation to the St. Louis Riverkeeper (SLCR) organization, a big thank you.

SLCR can only continue to try and protect and preserve our great rivers because of people like you.

If you didn’t send a year end gift, in any amount you wish, please do so. Your support is what keeps us going.

LABADIE UPDATE

As many of you probably know, the Franklin County Commissioners approved a landfill ordinance for utilities. This allows Ameren Missouri to move ahead with plans for the additional 440 acre coal ash dump.

However, the utility still must obtain approval from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Further, it is our opinion that one or more lawsuits will be filed to stop this effort.

In other words, this issue has a long way to go. SLCR will continue supporting LEO (Labadie Environmental Organization) in its efforts to have the coal ash dump placed somewhere other than the floodplain of the Missouri River. The site is not far upsteam from where Missouri American Water takes in water for a large portion of St. Louis County.

As pointed out many times, coal ash contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and many other heavy metals; none of which are healthy.

SLCR will keep you updated on this issue.

RIVER SOUNDINGS

The Greenway Network held its River Soundings program last month at the Visitors Center in Forest Park. River Soundings brings together a large and diverse group of environmental and other organizations to address a specific place or issue.

This year the subject was the Missouri River. Such groups as the Audubon Society, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Coalition on the Environment, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many others made presentations about various aspects of the Missouri River. The SLCR presentation will not be repeated here, but the three specific reasons discussed were; failure of other such dump pits throughout the nation, the heavy metals in the coal ash, and the fact that the Missouri River contains at least four types of “living dinosaurs” (Paddlefish, Gar, Sturgeon, and Bowfin)…all unchanged for the last 60 million years.

The entire event, two days, was very informative. You are encourged to attend next year.

WATER TESTING RESULTS

Water samples taken from sites #10 at the Arch, #11 at the foot of Elwood Street, and #12 at Cliff Cave Park, all located on the Mississippi River from the Arch to almost the Meramec River, showed high levels of E.coli the last two months.

SLCR suspected some of the combined outlet sewers serving the area had overflowed, as the often do. However, there was not any heavy rain on the days previous to each sample gathering.

SLCR intends to talk with the Metropolitian Sewer District to see if they can help understand what is happening. If it appears our sewers are not at fault in these cases SLCR will have to do some serious detective work.

The problems at Labadie Ameren Plant made it an easy choice to decide to do testing of the big rivers for heavy metals. This would be done four times a year and more often if unacceptable levels show up.

Also next year, SLCR will introduce a new program called “Green Boat.” This will be effort to encourage all boaters in the area to operate their boats in an environmentally friendly manner.

Details will be sent out later, but preliminary ideas include a list of key environmental actions to take when using a boat, a sticker to keep on the boat listing such actions, and other promotional items. “Green Boat” will be aimed at pleasure craft on the rivers. SLCR hopes to partner with several other area organizations.

As always, educational presentations, the Labadie problem, water testing, will be part of what SLCR does.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT