Water Quality

May 29, 2019 A kayaker paddles down flooded Main Street west of Grafton. The river had reached 32 feet, on its way to a projected crest of 36.3 feet, which would be the second highest on record and less than two feet below the record set in 1993.

Flooding May Have Polluted More Than 140,000 Residential Wells In Missouri

Eli Chen

Recent flooding could have contaminated more than 140,000 private wells in Missouri, according to an estimate by the National Ground Water…

Labadie resident and environmental activist Patricia Schuba looks at the Labadie Energy Center through binoculars.

Health, Science & Environment

9 Questions Answered About Missouri’s Toxic Coal Ash Ponds

Eli Chen

Every Missouri utility that’s dumping waste from coal-fired power plants into massive pits in the ground has posted data that shows significant levels of…

An aerial shot of one closed and one partially closed coal ash pond at the Meramec Energy Center in St. Louis in February 2018.

Health, Science & Environment

Missouri To Regulate Coal Ash Ponds For The First Time

Eli Chen

Coal-fired power plants that dump toxic waste in ponds could be required to monitor groundwater near the ponds and landfills under a plan released by the…

Girls in Vemasse, Timor-Leste carry containers of water across a rice field after heavy rains.

Health, Science & Environment

Wash U Engineers Use Bacteria And Nanotechnology To Purify Dirty Water

Eli Chen

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are developing a water filter that could help people in countries where there is not enough clean…

A stretch of LeBarque Creek near Pacific Oct. 2018

Health, Science & Environment

Missouri stream restoration projects use nature’s strength to prevent erosion

Eli Chen

The Nature Conservancy is rebuilding eroded streambanks in Missouri to reduce sediment pollution, which is one of the largest sources of water…

College students in the Living Lands & Waters Alternative Spring Break program hauled roughly 35,000 pounds of garbage from the Mississippi River this year near Grafton, IL.

Health, Science & Environment

Spring breakers trade vacation for trash, clean up Mississippi

Shahla Farzan

A rowdy group of college students slathers on sunscreen, getting ready for a day on the river.Instead of bathing suits, these spring breakers are decked…

An active coal-ash pond at the Meramec Energy Center in St. Louis County in February 2018.

Health, Science & Environment

Environmentalists say water permit will not address pollution from Ameren's Rush Island plant

Eli Chen

Environmentalists plan to raise concerns at a public hearing tonight about water-quality issues caused by Ameren Missouri's Rush Island Energy Center in…

A view of Lake Taneycomo in February 2018.

Health, Science & Environment

Regulators, environmentalists and scientists split on how to keep Missouri's lakes clean

Eli Chen

On a bright, brisk winter day in Branson, Mo., several dedicated fishermen tried to catch trout in Lake Taneycomo, a fast-moving, ribbon-shaped lake that…

Health, Science & Environment

EPA's plan to clean up Missouri's lakes may not be strong enough to prevent pollution

Eli Chen

The Environmental Protection Agency has released its proposal for tackling polluted runoff in Missouri's largest lakes.But environmentalists say the EPA's…

Health, Science & Environment

Environmentalists demand tougher laws to address runoff in Missouri's large lakes

Eli Chen

Missouri will soon adopt new regulations to clean up the state’s 150 large lakes and reservoirs.But environmentalists contend the state’s plan won’t be…