DNR Director Says Delayed Report Did Not Cause Health Risk

Jefferson City, MO – A transcript released Tuesday (October 6, 2009) quotes Missouri's Natural Resources chief as saying there was no health risk over the delay in releasing an E-coli report from the Lake of the Ozarks earlier this year.

According to the transcript, DNR Director Mark Templeton said that delaying the release of the report for a month did not pose a public health risk because bacteria die in lake water after about four days. Templeton added that he didn't learn about the results until eight days after the E-coli samples were taken.

His comments were made to State Senate investigators looking into the delayed report. Last week, Templeton was suspended without pay for two weeks by Governor Jay Nixon. Nixon recently announced a major effort to improve water quality at the Lake of the Ozarks, which he called, quote, "unacceptable."

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