Attorney General's News Release

Aug. 20, 1998

Missouri Stream Teams will benefit under agreement obtained by Nixon with Carthage explosives maker

Jefferson City, Mo. —Volunteer stream teams that monitor water quality in southwest Missouri will be receiving $25,000 for equipment and supplies, thanks to an agreement obtained by Attorney General Jay Nixon with Carthage explosives manufacturer Dyno Nobel Inc.

The agreement, which also calls for Dyno Nobel to pay $225,000 to the Jasper County School Fund, resolves allegations that the company violated state clean water laws on several occasions at its Carthage facility.

"This unique provision for the Stream Teams will carry long-lasting environmental benefits for southwest Missouri," Nixon said. "The $25,000 contribution to the Missouri Water Quality Monitoring Program will enable trained volunteers to help us in tracking water quality in a seven-county area."

The monitoring program, which is coordinated by the departments of Natural Resources and Conservation, will use the money to buy water quality monitoring kits and other related supplies to distribute to volunteers participating in training workshops in Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Barton, Lawrence, Barry and Dade counties.

Nixon said the volunteers, working in groups called Stream Teams, will help monitor water quality in Center Creek and surrounding watersheds.

"Missouri's Stream Teams are becoming an integral part of protecting our environment," Nixon said. "When you have a team of volunteers who live and work near the streams they are monitoring, their interest in protecting these resources will be that much greater."

"Stream Teams embody the spirit of volunteerism in Missouri, which is vital to preserving the quality of our enviroment for the future," said state Sen. Marvin Singleton of Joplin.

As of June 1998, there were 1,150 Stream Teams in Missouri. During 1997, Stream Teams reported working more than 72,000 volunteer hours, including planting more than 14,000 trees, collecting enough trash to fill 288 pickup trucks, and spending more than 14,000 hours monitoring water quality.

In the Dyno Nobel case, the state had alleged wastewater discharged from the plant into Center Creek exceeded the facility's permit limits for ammonia-N and chemical oxygen demand several times between June 1996 and April 1997. Both ammonia-N and chemical oxygen demand, which depletes oxygen from streams to the detriment of plant and animal life, are classified as water contaminants under state law.

The agreement requires Dyno Nobel to complete construction of a new wastewater treatment facility designed to treat pollutants resulting from the manufacture of explosives. The company must finish the plant within 120 days after receiving approval of its design from the DNR or pay additional penalties for each day it is late.

As part of the agreement, Dyno Nobel also will dismiss civil and administrative appeals of its permit and agreed to abide by the terms of the permit and the Missouri Clean Water Law.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818