Hazardous Waste Program

Natural Resources Damage Assessments

In 1998, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources established a Natural Resource Damages, or NRD, program within the Superfund Section of the Hazardous Waste Program. The premise behind Natural Resource Damages is that a state’s public lands, waters and living resources are held in “trust” for the benefit of the citizens of the state. Citizens have the right to use and enjoy natural resources and states have the duty and responsibility to protect these resources. The department’s Natural Resource Damages program, based primarily upon authority vested in the federal Superfund law, is charged with assessing injuries to and restoring public natural resources that have been injured by environmental hazards such as oil discharges and hazardous substances releases.

The director of the Department of Natural Resources is designated by the governor as the state natural resource trustee. In addition to state trustees, there are five federal trustees including the secretaries of the departments of Defense, Energy, Commerce, Interior and Agriculture. American Indian tribes are also designated trustees, but there are no state or federally recognized tribes within Missouri. Natural resource trustees are tasked with determining the type and extent of injuries to natural resources and with restoring injured natural resources for public use.

There are several approaches to assessing and restoring injured natural resources. One approach is the cooperative-based restoration approach. This approach focuses on restoration with the trustees and potentially responsible parties working together through cooperative assessment agreements. A second approach is settlement negotiations. Settlements should include the cost of restoring the natural resources; the cost of the lost use of the resources; and the cost incurred by the trustees to assess the injuries. If a settlement cannot be reached, the trustees can conduct a formal Natural Resource Damages assessment and proceed with litigation.

For more information on the Natural Resource Damages program, please contact Frances Klahr, NRD coordinator for the department, at 573-522-1347, or email her at frances.klahr@dnr.mo.gov.

New Natural Resource Damages Documents

• Natural Resource Damages Samping and Analysis Report - Sediment and Surface Water Sampling of the Virbunum Trend Lead Mining Sites in Iron, Crawford, Washington, Reynolds, Shannon and Dent Counties on Aug. 29, 30, and 31, 2011.  Prepared by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  Feb. 2012.
• Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan Information Sheet. Prepared by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Jan. 24, 2012.

Regional Restoration Plans

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service invite the public to review this document. Written comments are encouraged and must be postmarked no later than Feb. 24, 2012. Comments and questions about the plan or copies of the Plan can be requested from:

Frances Klahr, Natural Resource Damages Coordinator	John Weber, Restoration Coordinator
Missouri Department of Natural Resources	U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 176	101 Park DeVille Dr. Suite A
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0176	Columbia, MO 65203
573-522-1347	573-234-2132 (x177)
frances.klahr@dnr.mo.gov	John_S_Weber@fws.gov

• Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft).  U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. (1/11/12)
• Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment Appendices. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. (1/11/12)

Natural Resource Damages Agreements and Quality Assurance Project Plan

• Statewide Memorandum of Understanding.
• Addendum to Statewide Memorandum 2009.
• Memorandum of Agreement Between the Department and Department of Conservation.
• Designation of lead administrative trustee for the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District.
• Tri-State Mining District Partnership Agreement.
  • Addendum to Tri-State Mining District Partnership Agreement.
  • Tri-State Mining District Confidentiality Statement.
• Quality Assurance Project Plan for Natural Resources Damages

Jasper County and Newton County Mine Tailings Superfund Sites

• Final Jasper-Newton Counties Damage Assessment Plan.
  • Appendix B - Ozark Cavefish Distribution and Life History.
• Appendix B - Effects of Lead-Zinc Mining on Crayfish Density in the Spring River Watershed.
• Appendix B - Migratory Bird Injury Confirmation.
• Appendix C - Responsive Summary.
• Jasper/Newton Damage Assessment Plan Information Sheet.
• Columbia Environmental Research Center Crayfish Study Plan.
• Field Sampling Plan and General Quality Assurance Project Plan for a Pilot Study to Assess Volume of Mine Waste and Concentration of Selected Metals in Stream and Floodplain Sediment Within the Tri-State Mining District in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma,  U.S. Geological Survey. Revised Draft Sept. 24, 2010.
• Jasper County Pre-assessment.
• Jasper County Notice of Intent.
• Newton County Pre-assessment Screen.
• Newton County Notice of Intent.
• Adverse Health Effects in Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) Associated with Waste from Zinc and Lead Mines in the Tri-State Mining District

Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District

Recent postings

• The Distribution of Heavy Metals in Known and Potential Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (Somatachlora hineana) Habitat Near the Viburnum Trend Mining District of Southeast, Missoui, USA.  (Jan. 2012)  Prepared by J.S. Weber, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. (Posted 1/6/12)
  
• Environmental Implications of Phosphate-Based Amendments in Heavy Metal Contaminated Alluvial Soils of the Big River, Southeast Missouri, USA. (2011)  Prepared by John Weber, U.S. Department of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service; Dr. Keith W. Goyne, University of Missouri; Dr. Todd Luxton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Dr. Allen Thompson, Biological Engineering; Dr. John Yang, Lincoln University. (Posted 12/19/11)
  
• Sampling and Analysis Plan for Sediment and Surface Water Sampling of the Viburnum Trend Lead Mining Sites
  The department will be accepting comments on the sampling and analysis plan until Aug. 22, 2011. Read the public notice for more information on how to submit comments.
  
• Heavy Metal Effects on Growth and Survival of Native Floodplain Species

Previous postings

• Channel Instability and Sediment Contamination Risk to Lower Big River Mussel Beds, Robert T. Pavlowsky, Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute, Missouri State University. Oct. 7, 2010.
• Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District Damage Assessment Plan.
  • Appendix A - Threatened and Endangered Species.
  • Appendix B - Migratory Birds.
  • Addendum 1.
  • Sediment Sampling and Mussel Survey.
  • Crayfish density study plan.
  • Migratory Bird Study Plan.
    • Map of Potential Bird Collection Sites.
    • Passerine Capture Process.
    • Collection and Preservation of Passerine Blood.
    • Removal and Analysis of Passerine Liver Tissue.
  • Native Floristic Quality Study Plan.
  • Riffle Fish Density Study Plan.
  • Toxicity of Metal Contaminated Sediments Study Plan.
• Southeast Missouri Notice of Intent.
• Sediment Toxicity Report (Besser et al. 2009).
  • Sediment Toxicity Report Appendix A (Besser et al. 2009).
  • Sediment Toxicity Report Appendix B (Besser et al. 2009).
• Big River Sediment Assessment Project.
• Assessment of Freshwater Mussel Populations and Heavy Metal Sediment Contamination in the Big River.
• Big River Long-Term Monitoring Methods.
• Big River Mine Pre-assessment Screen.
  • Addendum to Big River Mine Tailings Pre-assessment Screen.
• Viburnum Trend Pre-assessment Screen (Sweetwater et al.).
• Notice of Intent - Attachment A.
• Notice of Intent - Attachment B.
• Notice of Intent - Attachment C.
• Viburnum Trend Pre-Assessment Screen (Fletcher et al.).
• Effects of Lead-Zinc Mining on Benthic Fish Density in Riffles of the Big River.
• Effects of Mining Derived Metals on Crayfish in the Big River.
• Effects of Mining Derived Metals Contamination on Native Floristic Quality
• The Effect of Growing Native and Exotic Missouri Legumes in Mining Waste from the Tri-State Region and the Old Lead Belt of Missouri.
• Response to Comments on the Phase I Assessment Plan
• Viburnum Trend Water and Sediment Sampling - Hine's Emerald Dragonfly Survey
• Big River Borrow Pit Monitoring Project
• Distribution, Geochemistry, and Storage of Mining Sediments in Channel and Floodplain Deposits of the Big River System in St. Francois, Washington, and Jefferson Counties, Missouri Final Report
• Big River Barriers Report
  

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