TODAY'S QUESTION: What should be done about pollution in Hinkson Creek?

COLUMBIA — The length of Hinkson Creek that passes through Columbia has been on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources 303(d) impaired stream list since 1998. The creeks appearance on the list means pollution is too high for swimming, drinking and has left low numbers of certain fish, invertebrates and insects.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said determining which pollutants are responsible is difficult. In the department's call for Columbia and Boone County to clean up the creek, the department wants the city and county to reduce the amount of stormwater that drains into the creek by more than 50 percent rather than target specific toxins for regulation.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires state agencies to impose regulation for endangered waterways. On Tuesday, representatives with the Department of Natural Resources presented Columbia and Boone County officials with a revised draft proposal to address pollution. The regulation draft called for a total maximum daily load limit that would require the city and county to reduce stormwater runoff by 50.5 percent.

The city and county both said they can't afford the effort. Some community leaders have said the Department of Natural Resources needs to improve its case for the total maximum daily load limit, noting that the most recent study is incomplete.

The Department of Natural Resources will revise the draft proposal and will eventually submit it to the EPA. The department is seeking public comment on the plan through e-mail or mail until Thursday.

What do you think should be done about pollution in Hinkson Creek? What do you think of the proposal?