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State Study Finds Contaminants in Hinkson Creek

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 00:00 CST

By Matthew LeBlanc, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Jan. 24--A state study of Hinkson Creek blames development and city growth for some pollutants found in the waterway last year.

A slight sheen of oil floats on Hinkson Creek today below the Green Valley Drive bridge south of Broadway. A state study found several contaminants in the creek from Broadway to Providence.

Water quality experts from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources found cloudy water and several foreign substances in a stretch from Broadway to Providence Road. Substances found during the yearlong study include arsenic, lead, copper, insecticides, pesticides, petroleum products and small amounts of pharmaceutical drugs.

Authors of the study say those results are an indication that Columbia is rapidly growing and that the city needs to help regulate what goes into the creek.

Randy Crawford, a water-quality monitoring supervisor at DNR, said it is not unusual to find such pollutants in waterways that run through urban areas. He said cloudy water -- "turbidity" in the study -- typically is associated with construction.

"Anytime you get humans concentrated together, you get things that do affect the stream," Crawford said. "The whole purpose is to minimize those activities."

A 14-mile segment of Hinkson Creek was placed on a federal list of impaired waterways in 1998 after a long history of fish kills and other problems that were traced to "unspecified pollutants." DNR began a study in 2001 of the portion of the creek south of Interstate 70 aimed at identifying the pollutants as well as their source.

The report on the Broadway to Providence portion of the creek marks the completion of the second phase of the three-phase Hinkson Creek Stream Study. The first phase, which detailed findings from I-70 to Broadway, was completed in November 2004, and the third phase is expected to be completed this fall.

The initial report on the second phase also calls on Columbia officials to work with developers to institute "progressive and innovative" practices to help cut down on potential pollutants that make it into the creek. Suggestions include slowing the rate at which stormwater is discharged into the stream and creating natural buffers around the stream.

Public Works Director John Glascock said the city continues to try to educate the public about stormwater pollution and has worked with developers to lessen the effect of runoff into Hinkson Creek.

Scott Hamilton, an urban conservationist with local environmental group Show-Me Clean Streams, said he's eager to see the results. "I'd really like to see them find a source" of the pollution, Hamilton said. "I have a hunch it's not going to be one source, but it would be helpful to know."

The third phase of the study will focus on the creek from Providence west to Perche Creek, DNR spokesman Kerry Cordray said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

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Source: Columbia Daily Tribune

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