Natural Resource Damages - Southwest Missouri

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The department’s Natural Resource Damages program is charged with assessing injuries to and restoring public natural resources that have been injured by environmental hazards, such as oil discharges and hazardous substances releases.

newLime Kiln Dam Restoration Project

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have prepared a Restoration Plan to describe an upcoming restoration project in Neosho, Missouri. This project will use funds recovered from responsible parties through the natural resource damages process to improve Lime Kiln Dam, a low-head dam on Shoal Creek. These improvements are designed to reduce the ecological impacts of the dam to compensate for historic impacts caused by mine waste contamination. This project, a collaboration with the National Fish Passage Program administered by USFWS, will improve public safety and allow fish passage through the dam.

Lime Kiln Dam Resoration Project Final Plan

Agencies Release Request for Proposals for Aquatic Restoration Projects

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are interested in restoring the aquatic ecosystem of Shoal Creek in southwest Missouri, which has been injured as a result of historic lead and zinc mining. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been released to solicit restoration project proposals that can improve wildlife habitat and water quality within the Shoal Creek watershed. The document below provides specific details and instructions for proposal applications. Applications are due nor later than Sept. 18, 2020. The department hosted a webinar to provide additional information and answer questions Aug. 25, 2020. For more information please send an email to John Nichols.

Shoal Creek Watershed Restoration Request for Proposal
Shoal Creek RFP Geographic Priority Areas Google Earth Coverage Right click to download this *.kmz file to use on Google Earth

More information about the RFP and about the Natural Resource Damage and Restoration program in Missouri is available at The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Natural Resources Damage Assessment Missouri Portion of the Tri-State Mining District webpage.

Cardinal Valley Natural Habitat Restoration Project Proposal and Draft Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have finalized a plan to restore mine lands in and around Webb City using compost. A public meeting and comment period were held to introduce the restoration plan and environmental assessment.

Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment

Agencies Release Compost Pilot Study Technical Report

The Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a pilot study to evaluate the potential environmental benefits and impacts of using composted manure products as a soil amendment on remediated lead and zinc mine lands. Different compost mixtures composed of cattle manure, poultry litter, municipal biosolids, woodchips and conventional fertilizers were tested in both upland and wetland soils. Test plots were established using the different compost mixtures and were sampled to evaluate potential contaminants in stormwater runoff, changes in bioavailability and plant uptake of soil metals, and plant growth and diversity. This report details the results of that pilot study.

Agencies Release Draft Plan to Evaluate Injury to Mussels by Metals in the Tri-State Mining District

This study is part of an ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process for the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) conducted by co-trustees, who for the Missouri portion of the mining district, include the department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The co-trustees for Missouri are making the draft addendum to the Tri-State Assessment Plan - Mussel Sampling and Analysis Plan available for public review and comment.

This addendum provides information on the sampling and analysis planned by the trustees involved in developing Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) claims in the TSMD.

The Jasper and Newton County Superfund sites in Missouri are part of the TSMD. These sites were mined extensively for lead and zinc for more than a century. As a consequence of the mining and mining-related activities, large amounts of metals were released into the environment in the TSMD. The main metals of concern are lead, cadmium and zinc, which are potentially toxic to a wide variety of organisms, including birds, mammals, fish, mussels and other biota.

The addendum is available to download from the USFWS website.

Restoration Awards Granted

Jasper County Primary Acquisition Project - The Missouri Natural Resource Trustees (Trustees) released a request for proposals in July 2013 seeking applicants to purchase remediated mine waste areas in Jasper County. The funding for this project was recovered as a result of a Natural Resource Damages settlement with the mining company ASARCO. The Trustees elected to award the entire $3,000,000 to the city of Webb City for their proposed project in the Center Creek Bottoms area, which will include approximately 1,000 acres of land. These lands, much of which previously contained mine waste, will be maintained as parks in native habitat owned by the city.

Upland Compensatory Restoration Project - The department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Missouri Prairie Foundation $750,000 to purchase and restore prairie in Jasper and Newton counties, in southwest Missouri. The funding for this project was recovered as a result of a Natural Resource Damages settlement with the mining company ASARCO, and was advertised in a request for proposals in July 2013. The Missouri Prairie Foundation is an established non-profit land trust that has operated in Missouri for nearly 50 years, specializing in the restoration and management of native prairie.

Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan

The Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan describes and explains options for restoring natural resources that were harmed by mining operations in the Springfield Plateau of southwest Missouri. The restoration plan originally published in May 2012 was amended in January 2018.

Jasper and Newton Counties Mine Tailings Superfund Sites

Contact Information

Mr. Eric Gramlich
CERCLA/OPA NRDAR Section Chief
Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
573- 522-1347
Email: eric.gramlich@dnr.mo.gov or

Mr. John Weber
Environmental Contaminants Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
101 Park DeVille Dr. Suite A
Columbia, MO 65203

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