By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Missouri environmentalists say they've settled a lawsuit with the EPA over enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
The Missouri Coalition for the Environment sued the federal agency last year.
The group claimed the EPA was not enforcing laws meant to keep the state's rivers and lakes clean enough for recreation.
Ted Heisel is the Coalition's executive director.
"As it stands right now, 90% of the state's surface waters do not have limits for pathogens," Heisel said. "So basically, sewage treatment plants can put as much bacteria or other pathogen material out into these waters as they like."
Heisel says the settlement means that if state officials do not clean up the water, the federal government may step in.
EPA Regional Council Martha Steincamp says the agency worked with the state to come up with a new schedule. Missouri now has until spring of 2006 to develop and submit new water quality standards.