News Release 310a

Gov. Nixon announces water tests indicating Lake Jacomo safe from harmful bacteria

Raw Sewage Reaches Prairie Lee Lake

Volume 37-310a (For immediate release)
Contact: Larry Archer
573-751-1010

Jefferson City, SEPT. 7, 2009 -- Gov. Jay Nixon announced today that testing of water samples drawn Sunday from Lake Jacomo by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources show bacteria in the lake to be at safe levels.

Preliminary results from those tests showed E. coli levels ranging from 3.1 colonies per 100 milliliters to 32.7 colonies per 100 milliliters. The state standard for maximum acceptable level of E. coli is 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water for a single sample and 126 colonies per 100 milliliters of water for a geometric mean for a number of samples for bodies of water such as Prairie Lee Lake and Lake Jacomo. All results at Lake Jacomo showed levels of the bacteria within the acceptable range, so no action to close or limit use of the lake is necessary. Because the testing process takes a total of about 24 hours, water samples taken by DNR officials at four sites in Lake Jacomo on Sunday were tested and analyzed today.

Additionally, four samples drawn on Sunday from Prairie Lee Lake showed higher levels of bacteria. Those results ranged from 7.5 colonies per 100 milliliters to 228.2 colonies per 100 milliliters.

Water from Lake Jacomo and Prairie Lee Lake was tested over the weekend by state and county officials as part of a coordinated response to a sewage spill on early Friday morning at Prairie Lee Lake, which flows into Lake Jacomo.

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