Strafford residents oppose planned sewage wastewater treatment plant

STRAFFORD, Mo. — 450 Strafford residents are opposing a planned sewage wastewater treatment plant by the City of Strafford that would discharge into the headwaters of Davis Creek and into the James River above Blackman. 

Advocates with the "Save Davis Creek" initiative said they are hopeful Monday night's town hall meeting will positively shift their relationship with the city and they will be able to come to a compromise.

A jointly penned letter to the City of Strafford by the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and the James River Basin Partnership outlined concerns with the wastewater treatment plant.

The letter said the Davis Creek is a losing stream, meaning it is connected to the subsurface groundwater system with likely connections to private wells and springs.

The non-profits also said the creek is upstream of a drinking water intake on the James River, which provides water to over 111,000 customers in Greene County.

A primary concern the initiative shared is PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," going into groundwater and accumulating downstream in Lake Springfield.

Strafford currently works with the City of Springfield to treat their wastewater.

"What we would prefer is that they maintain their relationship with the City of Springfield to use the experts at processing wastewater and sewage," said Michael Stelzer with the Save Davis Creek initiative. "They've got an incredible track record. They have economies of scale. The cost for them to use Springfield would likely be a more efficient way to manage their sewage and wastewater. That's really the best solution in our opinion."

You can find the full letter from the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and the James River Basin Partnership here.