Tagged: Missouri Department of Natural Resources

A company has agreed to clean up groundwater contamination in north St. Louis County after tests raised concerns at homes near the plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced a cleanup agreement with PerkinElmer Inc., a Massachusetts-based firm that operates the Missouri Metals plant. The agreement will be final after a 30-day comment period.

The Department of Natural Resources is launching a statewide roundup of mercury in Missouri. There will be around 50 mercury drop-off sites in the state, including four in the St. Louis area.

The department is working with fire departments and county health offices to provide drop-off locations where citizens and non-profit agencies can leave instruments containing mercury like thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, thermostats or switches.

Water samples taken this week from 12 coves at the Lake of the Ozarks did not contain elevated E. Coli levels, but two Missouri beaches will remain closed because of elevated average amounts of the bacteria.

All 12 samples are from coves in the lake's upper region, from the Highway 65 bridge to the Brown Bend area 30 miles down-lake.  Renee Bungart with the Department of Natural Resources says the upper-lake testing is part of a 5-year study to examine the Lake of the Ozark's ecological health.