"A mistake": Strafford residents speak out against proposed sewage plant, say it could lead to contaminated drinking water

STRAFFORD, Mo. — Residents of Strafford voiced strong opposition to a proposed wastewater treatment plant at a town hall meeting on Monday night, August 4, citing concerns over potential impacts on local drinking water.

The proposed plant would discharge into Davis Creek, which flows into the James River, a source of Springfield's drinking water. Residents fear this could lead to contamination and have raised concerns about chemicals known as 'forever chemicals' that may not be effectively removed by the treatment process.

The town hall meeting was packed with people, many of whom took to the podium to express their concerns.

"I feel like the wastewater treatment plant is a mistake," said Steve Quinn, a Strafford resident who spoke at the podium. "Davis Creek goes into the James River, which then goes into Springfield's water supply."

Michael Stelzer, who helped form the Save Davis Creek Initiativ,e presented a joint letter from experts from the Jersey River Basin Partnership and the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, advising against the plant.

Steve Quinn emphasized the potential negative impact on Strafford's image if health incidents arise from the plant. He believes the city should maintain its existing connection to Springfield's wastewater plant, which he views as a regional effort to ensure water quality in the Ozarks.

The Strafford City Council is set to discuss the proposed wastewater plant further at their meeting on Thursday, August 7.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by OzarksFirst.com. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by OzarksFirst.com staff before being published.