A new report by Environment America Research & Policy Center found that 70% of 202 lakes, rivers, and streams in Missouri tested positive for unsafe levels of E. Coli more than 25% of the time they were tested between 2024 and 2025.
But Missouri isn't alone. The report included data from 17 states and found that 69% of the waterways tested had at least one day of unsafe bacteria levels.
It comes a week after high levels of E. Coli were found in Missouri's Big River due to failing equipment at Leadwood wastewater treatment facility.
Abby Longo, co-author of the report, said the contamination most often comes from sewage overflows, failing septic systems, and even manure from livestock. She called the contamination a "threat to public safety."
"Our report essentially shows that all too often pollution in the water poses a health risk to people in the United States and in Missouri at the places we love to visit," she said.
Longo said one solution is to fix failing or inadequate sewage systems like Leadwood in Missouri, but that those fixes often come with a high price tag.
"There's a need for sustained investment in the infrastructure, but there's a steep price," she said. "But federal investment hasn't met this threshold. So we really believe that in order to prevent E. Coli from heading into our rivers and lakes, we need more money from the federal government to fix these really expensive sewage pipes or wastewater treatment plants."
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And Missouri is one of them.
And Missouri is one of them.
