URBANWATERS
FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP
The Meramec River and Big River
Navigate Collaboration to
Clean Up Legacy Pollutants
The Meramec River and Big River Restoration
Project near St. Louis, MO is one of 19
designated locations for the nation's Urban Waters
Federal Partnership (UWFP).This partnership
works to reconnect urban communities,
particularly those that are economically
distressed, with their local waterways. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) are the
federal co-lead agencies for the Meramec River
and Big River location. Additionally, nonprofit
organizations, including the Nature Conservancy,
the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, and
the Open Space Council, have played a pivotal
role. Strong support from the state government
and community groups has shaped the project,
ensuring it will have vast environmental,
economic, and social benefits.
ABOVE: Volunteers participate in Operation Clean
Stream, removing tires from the Big River. Credit:
Tracy Haag, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
This UWFP project is located south of St. Louis, MO. The Meramec River
is one of the longest free flowing rivers in Missouri and contains nationally
significant ecological resources. The Meramec is known for its recreational
use and flows for over 220 miles before emptying into the Mississippi River.
The Big River is a tributary of the Meramec River and shares its ecological
and recreational value.
Formerly a booming lead-producing region, towns located in the Meramec
and Big River watersheds hold over 200 years of lead mining pollution.
High levels of heavy metals, including lead, in sediment have entered
the Big River. Wildlife, especially mussel and fish populations, has also
been affected by the high lead concentrations in the sediment, and fish
consumption advisories have been in place on the Big River since 1981.
Bringing Together Partners
Seeking to address lead contamination and habitat degradation, EPA and
USACE serve as members of the Big River Task Force, a group of various
state and federal governmental organizations. Their work aims to facilitate
the cleanup of highly toxic sites along the rivers, restore natural habitat and
address pollution in the Big River.
A Watershed Management Plan with a Holistic Approach
In July 2012, a watershed management plan was completed for the Lower
Meramec Watershed, which identified ways to improve the watershed. This
collaborative effort built on community partnerships and resulted in specific
recommendations to improve water quality for the Lower Meramec. These
recommendations included: 1) riparian habitat restoration, 2) public education,
and 3) further technical analysis to identify strategies to reduce pollutant
loading. The East-West Gateway Council of Governments will provide an
update to the Lower Meramec Watershed plan, which is scheduled to be

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ABOVE: The Big River can be accessed through Washington State Park.
Credit: Tracy Haag, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
complete in 2017. Additionally, the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources (DNRj and The Nature Conservancy have
plans to complete a broader Watershed Management Plan for
the entire Meramec Basin in the near future.
Improving Flood Preparedness and Response
The Meramec River has been a source of flood damage for
many years. Flooding can lead to a variety of hazards, including
infrastructure damage, erosion and crop loss, and disruption of
critical services. To minimize damage, emergency management
teams need information to prepare for and manage these
events, however, localities tend to lack information both during
and after floods.
To address this, the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Missouri Water Science Center (MOWSC) is currently
developing online flood inundation mapping tools (FIMS) for
portions of the lower Meramec River. The Meramec River
floodplain is well suited for flood inundation mapping because
of the ample availability of data at streamflow gages. The
USGS FIM Program will help communities protect lives and
property by providing tools and information to help understand
local flood risks, and make cost-effective decisions on flood
preparedness, response, and recovery. Mapping has begun for
four reaches along the Lower Meramec River and is scheduled
to be completed by the summer of 2018.
Connecting Youth to the Outdoors
To reverse the growing disconnect between youth and the
outdoors, the Gateway Region YMCA, the Department of the
Interior, and other St. Louis partners are encouraging youth
to explore the natural world around them. To do this, they are
working with schools in the Meramec Watershed. Their work
seeks to advance Let's Move! Outside, an initiative aiming to
connectyouth and families with nature and public lands in their
community. This initiative will include environmental education
events and activities, including Canoemobile, in the Meramec
Watershed. Through these efforts, youth and families in the
St. Louis area will learn new skills, engage with others, and
connect with their great outdoors through service projects,
recreation, and environmental education.
Increasing Community Access to Meramec River
The City of Sunset Hills, a community within St. Louis, is
partnering with Missouri American Water and Open Space
Council to create a Meramec River access point to increase
community access to the river. This project involves removing
the remnants of an old boat ramp built in the 1950s that has
deteriorated and blocked river access, and creating a walking
path from Minnie Ha Ha Park to the river. This project will
increase access to the Meramec River from the Minnie Ha Ha
Park, benefiting more than one million park visitors each year.
Measuring Success
To date, the Meramec and Big River location has completed a
variety of projects, including:
. Restoring 500 miles of the lower tributaries within the
Meramec River through Operation Clean Stream,
Removing 107,000 cubic yards of lead contaminated
residential soil surrounding 360 homes in 2016,
. Removing and replacing lead-contaminated residential
soil surrounding 2,997 homes since clean-up began, and
Stabilizing 2,392 acres of mine waste piles, containing more
than 10 million cubic yards of contaminated material.
PQA United States
I-~ I-'JEJL Environmental Protection
hI	Agency
August 2017
For additional information on the Urban Waters program, please visit:
http://www.urbanwaters.gov/.

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