Governments strike deal on Hinkson Creek pollution issue

The city of Columbia, Boone County and the University of Missouri have reached a preliminary agreement with state environmental regulators on a stormwater permit for the community. The biggest disagreement was how to counteract Hinkson Creek’s water quality problems. 
Boone County Stormwater Coordinator Georganne Bowman said today that government representatives will meet next week to discuss the impact of the new permit language on the flow and volume reduction requirements. They were listed in the newest draft of the Hinkson Creek Total Maximum Daily Load, which was issued again on Friday for a 30 day public comment period. A court order requires the TMDL to be in place by the end of the year.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Natural Resources previously issued a draft report that required drastic reduction in stormwater flows into Hinkson Creek to ensure healthy aquatic life.
A hearing on the stormwater permit had been scheduled for next Tuesday.
The local governments and the University of Missouri objected to the proposed TMDL requirements, saying they were based on faulty science and failed to identify a specific source of pollution. They said the requirements could cost up to $500 million to implement and push development into a more sensitive watershed further south, while alternative methods were both less expensive and more effective.
Additional details were unavailable Wednesday afternoon.