News Release 178

DEPARTMENT RELEASES LIST OF
WELL DRILLING INDUSTRY CONTRACTORS WITHOUT PERMITS

Volume 36-178

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MARCH 31, 2008 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today that several well drilling industry contractors no longer carry permits to perform work in Missouri.

The contractors previously held a permit with the department to operate in Missouri as a contractor for water well, pump, heat pump or monitoring well installations.

There are many possible reasons why the individuals listed may not hold a permit.  Those may include retirement, change in occupation or job duties, failure to apply for a renewal or enforcement actions taken against contractors who violated the Water Well Driller's Act. The department is encouraging those who had a well drilled by someone included in the list to contact the department for further information.

The Well Driller's Act became effective in 1986.  It establishes minimum well construction standards and requires contractors to be permitted by the state.  The law was created to protect Missouri groundwater from contamination resulting from improperly constructed wells.  Improperly constructed wells may act as conduits for contaminants such as septic tank effluent.  Contaminated groundwater exposes Missourians of all ages to serious health risks that can result from water borne diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis and giardiasis.

Those contractors who no longer carry permits to work in Missouri include the following:

Name-City (County)

Tom Clark -- Kansas City (Jackson)
Thad Davis -- Macon (Macon)
Forrest Erickson -- Lenexa, Kan.
William Hardy -- Blytheville, Ark.
Luke Haslag -- Bonnots Mill (Osage)
Shiloh Kirkland -- Springfield (Greene)
Angela Link -- Kansas City (Jackson)
Tracey Meyer -- Leslie (Franklin)
Kevin Ogden -- Crystal City (Jefferson)
Catherine Povalitis -- St. Charles (St. Charles)
Robert Ralls -- Kansas City (Jackson)
Anthony Smasal -- Cole Camp (Benton)
Andrew Sprinkle-- St. Louis (St. Louis)
Randall Swan -- King City (Gentry)
Melissa Valentine -- Overland Park, Kan.
Laura Voegelie -- Overland. (St. Louis)
Ricky Winters -- Alton, Ill.  
Dennis Wright -- Craig (Holt) 

For more information about this list or other wellhead protection issues, please contact the Department of Natural Resources' Wellhead Protection Section at 800-361-4827 or
573-368-2115.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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