Flooding, Water Quality and Swimming in Table Rock Lake:

 

Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc. has been receiving phone calls and emails asking if it is safe to swim in Table Rock Lake. It seems that somewhere the public has determined that the flood from March and the continuing high water may have somehow caused unsafe conditions for whole body contact.  Executive Director of TRLWQ David Casaletto issued this press release: 

“I feel very confident that the lake is as clean (maybe cleaner due to the “flush” of all the water thru the flood gates and downstream) as it is every year. The flood has had no lasting impact on water quality. I think these rumors may have got their start when it was reported that the Galena treatment plant was flooded in March. And it did flood, but the amount of sewage released was very small and the harmful bacteria that reside in sewage do not live in the open water and have all died long ago. I guess the way I can show I am confident in the water quality is to tell you that I am going to take my 3 year old granddaughter swimming in the lake and I have no worries doing so. You can never say that there can not be something in the water that might make someone sick at any given time, but that risk is no greater this year than any other year and that risk is very very small. And the lake in front of my house (by Cape Fair) is clearer that it has been in years. I rode my jet ski past Pioneer Point Memorial Day Weekend and the water was great.  So I and my family are going to enjoy the lake this year and I would encourage everyone to do so, too. I know of absolutely no reason not to.

But as the calls and emails continued, I decided it was time to see if test results would back up my statements. After a few phone calls, I could find no recent lake tests for E. Coli. It seems the Corps swimming beaches are all underwater, so they are not doing their normal testing and the Stone County Health Department is only testing the James River above Galena (those test results showed that there were safe swimming conditions and can be found online here). I decided the only thing to do was to test the water myself and see what the results show.

I made a trip to the Stone County Health Department in Galena to pick up “recreational testing bottles” then I made a sampling run to Port of Kimberling Campground, Mill Creek Corps Park, Baxter Corps Park, Aunts Creek Corps Park, a small boat ramp near Cape Fair, a community ramp near the James River/Aunts Creek Junction and the Missouri Department of Conservation access at the Y Bridge in Galena. Then back to Galena for lab testing at the health department. A day later the results were in and all areas showed E Coli counts well below the EPA standard of 235 organisms per 100 ml. In fact the highest count was only 37.

As any health organization will tell you, natural bodies of water can contain harmful organisms with the most commonly reported illness being diarrhea. The point I am making is that from everything I can determine, the lake is as safe as it has ever been and the flooding has not had any lasting negative effects that would be unsafe for whole body contact so I stand by my earlier statement: “My family and I are going to enjoy the lake this year and I would encourage everyone to do so, too. I know of absolutely no reason not to.”

You can contact Table Rock Lake Water Quality at 417-739-4100 or trlwq@lvbw.net. And for $15 you can test for E Coli at your favorite swimming hole by stopping by the Stone County Health Department in Galena, picking up a recreational sample bottle and returning the sample container to them for testing. They are a certified testing lab for the State of Missouri. You can call the Stone County Health Department at 417-357-8200. See the Stone County Health Department's test results for their sampling in the James River. I also welcome any calls or emails.

--David Casaletto, Executive Director, Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc., Kimberling City, Missouri.

A copy of the article in the Branson Daily News can be found here.

 

The Showboat Branson Belle Table Rock Lake Shoreline Cleanup has been moved back from its original April 5th date due to flooding issues. September 27th, 2008 is the new shoreline cleanup date, but people will be cleaning up all summer as water levels recede! Click here to see pictures of the flooding around Table Rock Lake, The James River and Lake Taneycomo!

Join us on September 27th to help clean up Table Rock Lake! This event is fun and you get a free shoreline cleanup T-shirt and camping voucher for any of the Table Rock Lake, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Campgrounds!

Get Your Septic Tank Pumped! $50 rebate online registration or call 417-739-4100

In partnership with the James River Basin Partnership and the Missouri Department of Conservation we are offering a  $50 cost share (check) to lake area homeowners that get their septic tanks pumped out. For you, your family and the environment, you need to maintain your septic system regularly to ensure proper functioning and wastewater treatment.

To qualify for the $50 rebate you must reside in the Table Rock Lake Watershed (Missouri Only) and simply contact our office and participate in a short educational interview on water quality and septic maintenance in the lake area. (TRLWQ is not a regulatory agency and does not do septic inspections or evaluations).

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Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc. P.O. Box 606 (2 Kissee Avenue) Kimberling City, MO 65686
Phone: 417-739-4100 | Fax: 417-739-9889 | Email: trlwq@lvbw.net