Open house to address Bonne Femme Watershed, groundwater protection

COLUMBIA — In response to changes in regulations to protect the city's groundwater and cave systems, as well as the Bonne Femme Watershed, Boone County will host an open house for discussion, according to a news release.

The open house, in coordination with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 31 at Little Bonne Femme Baptist Church, 5350 E. Bonne Femme Church Road, the release stated.

In addition to a discussion about the new regulation changes, Boone County is developing a total maximum daily load for the Bonne Femme Watershed to target the amount of bacteria entering it, the release stated. A TMDL calculates a body of water’s maximum amount of pollutants it can have and still meet water quality standards, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Residents in the Bonne Femme Watershed created a watershed management and land-use plan in 2006 that explained steps people could take to protect the water in this urbanizing area. Boone County used those recommendations as a basis for protections in the storm water ordinance, according to the release.

For more information, or to attend the event, call 886-4330.