Columbia has potential violations to water quality due to encampments, DNR says
A proposed city of Columbia stormwater management plan did not contain sufficient measures address water quality issues resulting from homeless encampments, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources wrote in a letter to the city.
The DNR is requesting additional details and measures in the city’s stormwater management plan to address the potential water quality issues, according to the Feb. 28 letter.
The city of Columbia, Boone County and the University of Missouri filed to renew their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) operating permit on Dec. 23, 2024, according to the letter. These three entities share and manage their stormwater systems.
The MS4 operating permit request contains a stormwater management plan and a measure to detect and eliminate illicit discharge, which is where the DNR is requesting additional details and measures.
The DNR is concerned about water quality issues regarding solid waste from homeless encampments, which accumulates within the city’s local streams. The department said it has received about 30 concerns related to water quality due to homeless encampments since November 2022.
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“The SWMP submitted within the MS4 permit renewal does not adequately address the potential for solid waste, pathogens, and other pollutants from these areas to enter local streams and waterways,” the DNR wrote in the letter to the city.
The issues could be potential violations to the city’s MS4 permit, the DNR said.
The city, county and university must address the concerns to their stormwater management plan as part of the permit renewal process, the DNR said.
The city and county have been conducting cleanups of homeless encampments for years, which stemmed from water quality concerns.
An April 2023 encampment removal followed a December 2022 complaint the city received from the DNR.