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Ozark Waters 
Volume XIV, Issue 10
  March 9, 2020
In This Issue

 

 

 

Get pumped!

Call 417-739-4100

for septic pumping

in SW Missouri! 

 

  Shoreline Cleanups
(Click for more info)

 
 
Click HERE to Visit Ozarks Water Watch Website to find: 
 
  • Current Events
  • Newsletter Archives
  • Projects Updates
  • Water Quality Info
  • Maps
  • Links
  • Pictures & Videos
 
 
   
Private well? Remember to test your water!
 
David Casaletto, President, Ozarks Water Watch
 
I am a member of the wellcare® Well Owners Network. It is a national network that provides consumers served by private water wells with free education and information regarding the proper construction, regular well water testing, and maintenance of water wells and septic systems to ensure safe drinking water.


Well owners have access to a toll free hotline to ask questions on any topic related to wells and well water care, testing and maintenance. You can also sign up online for a free membership in the wellcare® Well Owners Network to receive quarterly newsletters with tips and tools on caring for water well systems, septic systems and well water. Discounts on water test kits are also available.


This month, the Well Owners Network is reminding homeowners to test their well water to ensure it is safe. Homeowners with private wells are solely responsible for the quality of their drinking water, so it is up to them to decide when and how to test their water.

At a minimum, well water should be tested every year for bacteria, anything of local concern or any contaminants that you are monitoring from previous test results.


Testing more than once a year may be warranted in special situations:
  • Someone in your household is pregnant or nursing
  • There are unexplained illnesses in the family
  • Your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water
  • You note a change in water taste, odor, color or clarity
  • There is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well
If you have a situation that is mentioned above, follow comprehensive testing recommendations or call the wellcare® Hotline at 888-395-1033 for assistance on what to test for.


You will need to collect water samples for the laboratory you choose to test your water. The laboratory usually provides specific sampling instructions and clean bottles in which to collect the water sample. Do not rinse lab containers or fill them to overflowing. Check to see if the sample must be refrigerated or treated with special chemicals.

Again, carefully follow the instructions provided by the laboratory. A carelessly collected sample can give you inaccurate results. If needed, the wellcare® Well Owners Network can help you find a certified lab in your area.

 ____________________________________
  
Quote of the Week    
 
"Play in the river, walk barefoot on the sand, dance under the moon, sleep under the stars, and you'll likely find that very little is needed to live a happy life."

~ Brooke Hampton
  ________________________________________
 
Emma's Story: The Making of a Stream Monitor
 
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 
February 10, 2020

I have always enjoyed exploring around my grandparents' wooded stream outside of Hillsboro and finding crawfish and minnows. Until recently I didn't know the diversity of life that existed in that watery ecosystem. Last year, during a homeschool biology lesson, I gently turned over some rocks in a small stream bed and used a net to catch whatever might be hiding beneath.
 
 
I sifted through the debris with tweezers and discovered a dark-colored creepy creature about two inches long with large pincers on its head, which we identified as a hellgrammite. I had found my first benthic macroinvertebrate, or bottom-dwelling aquatic animal without a backbone that can be seen with the naked eye. I was hooked!

To read more, click: HERE 
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Scientists gather to study risk from microplastic pollution

MPR News 
February 24, 2020
 
Tiny bits of broken-down plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice are turning up everywhere in oceans, from the water to the guts of fish and the poop of sea otters and giant killer whales.
 
 A blue rectangular piece of microplastic on the finger of a researcher

Yet little is known about the effects of these "microplastics" - on sea creatures or humans. "It's such a huge endeavor to know how bad it is," said Shawn Larson, curator of conservation research at the Seattle Aquarium. "We're just starting to get a finger on the pulse."
 
To read more, click: HERE 
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A world record paddlefish - and he had to let it go
 
Springfield News-Leader 
February 25, 2020

They say records are made to be broken. But an Oklahoma paddlefish snagger, who would have easily set a new world record with a 157-pound fish he caught on Valentine's Day, won't land in the world record books because of a quirk in Oklahoma fish regulations. 
 
 
Justin Hamlin landed the fish on a Friday, and it would have eclipsed the 144-pound paddlefish caught in a Kansas farm pond that currently holds the world record. But to help preserve paddlefish populations in Oklahoma, state regulations require anglers to release any paddlefish caught on Mondays or Fridays. Unlike in Missouri, Oklahoma paddlefish can be snagged year-round.
 
To read more, Click: HERE 
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Contact Info
OZARKS WATER WATCH                          MISSOURI OFFICE                                 ARKANSAS OFFICE

David Casaletto, President

Cathy Stepp, Executive Director                  PO Box 636, 11 Oak Drive                       1200 W. Walnut, Ste. 3405 

(417) 739-4100                                          Kimberling City, MO  65686                      Rogers, AR  72756

contact@ozarkswaterwatch.org