How important is water quality in Missouri to us? Protecting it benefits all of us. Clean water to drink is paramount for our health. Stockton Lake provides drinking water for Springfield as well as other cities. Clean water supports fishing, boating, animal health, etc. Vacationers come to Missouri for fun on our clean water.

We need to be stewards of clean water ourselves.  We must be careful what we put down our drains. We must be careful with chemicals on the soil. We must also hold Concentrated Animal Farming Operations (CAFOs) responsible for what waste they dispose of. A farmer in Golden City told of an aquifer connection on a nearby property. The owner adhered to the rules which said it could be used to pump out but never into. After CAFO bought the farm, they promptly used the aquifer connection to drain manure. We have to be protected form this abuse of our water system.

Our Cedar County commissioners are suing Gov. Michael Parson, Missouri Air Conservation Commissioner, Missouri Clean Water Commission, Feb. 19, to have the right to control our water and other resources. Please call the Governor’s office at 573-751-3222, Representative at 573-751-4065 or Senator 573-751-8793 and tell them you want our resources protected and Senate Bill 391 is unconstitutional.

Carolyn West