Missouri Department of Natural Resources

People living near a company that did work for the Navy had no idea that a toxic solvent, disposed of improperly, had made its way into their drinking water – until a public apology from the state in 2019.

Ground-level ozone arises when emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources react to sunlight.

While the area continues to recover from historic flash floods that damaged hundreds of homes, what can be done to reduce future damage will take years and a possible variety of solutions and funding.

Environmental groups worry the new regulations won’t be stringent enough, pointing to a recent permit change at one facility.

Missouri environmental groups are decrying proposed state rules that would allow power plants to discharge contaminants like coal ash into groundwater through a general permit for multiple facilities. Power plants currently have individual, site-specific permits.

Missouri and Illinois are among dozens of states that have yet to submit plans for improving air quality in protected areas. Environmental nonprofits are suing the EPA to compel the agency to take action.

Steve Mahfood, former director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, says Herculaneum’s not-so-distant past stands as a compelling reminder of how community members and state officials can band together to hold a polluter accountable.

The coal ash basins at Labadie Energy Center contain 15 million cubic yards of waste, the largest volume of Ameren’s four coal-fired power plants in Missouri.

The money will be used to help hospitals with staffing and to set up five sites to give antibodies to high-risk patients.

In this episode, we discuss the science behind Missouri’s many sinkholes and learn how the city of St. Louis was developed upon porous and uncertain terrain.