Hinkson Creek, the small, unassuming body of water that flows along the Katy Trail past MU is hiding a secret.
Well, it’s not a secret if you’re familiar with local environmental issues. Hinkson Creek is incredibly polluted. Not just a little polluted, as in unfit for consumption but still safe for animal contact. Hinkson Creek is so environmentally impaired it cannot even sustain the aquatic life it once had.
The state of Missouri has considered the creek impaired since the 1990s, but the situation hasn’t seemed to improve any since. Although scientists haven’t yet found a meaningful and measurable polluting chemical in the water, it holds tell-tale characteristics of its condition, like discoloration, turbidity and sedimentation.
One of the causes believed to be behind Hinkson’s dirty state is non-point source pollution, usually urban or agricultural runoff. You might have seen those circular “no dumping” plaques on the storm drains around campus. Even if you don’t pour battery acid down there, you might still unknowingly be contributing to the environmental condition of Hinkson and other small Missouri streams.
Trash and chemicals, like soap used for washing cars, are pollutants that get into the sewer system that drains to Hinkson, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Using organic products and biodegradable products, or simply disposing of things that aren’t, are good ways to avoid this.
Hinkson Creek feeds into Perche Creek, which feeds into the Missouri River. Perche Creek is able to sustain fish and even otters, most likely because the water from Hinkson is diluted by water from other streams. The water from Perche is further diluted when it reaches the Missouri River. But dilution does not eliminate the chemicals, and they have to end up somewhere. The result is the New Jersey-sized “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.
The pollution from streams like Hinkson, which connect to the gulf, pool up from the surrounding currents and create a space where life is completely unsustainable.
Environmental health is a serious issue when considering immediate surroundings, and accumulated impacts in faraway places also become devastating to the area when left unchecked. Hinkson, for the most part, is being left unchecked.
Environmental groups in Missouri have focused their attention on improving the quality of Hinkson Creek, but more needs to be done. Every year in the fall there’s a “Hinkson Creek Clean Sweep,” in which several clubs at MU participate. The focus of this event is to remove debris, one of the many factors that have contributed to the creek’s toxicity, introduced into the creek by dumping or heavy rains.
Several clubs at MU are also participating in a similar clean up event on April 14, with the focus being improving the environmental health of all of Columbia. Although beneficial, these events to clean up trash, on their own, haven’t fixed the problem.
Considering the obvious environmental consequences, I’m curious to know why the Columbia city government has not properly developed a plan to bring about the restoration of Hinkson Creek since it was declared impaired in the ’90s.
The city has spent a large amount of money on studies that have little practicality in terms of improving Hinson Creek. A full restoration would probably require radical changes and might be unfeasible at this point, but small steps, like finally identifying the type of pollutants in Hinson Creek, haven’t been taken.
The Sierra Club, an environmental group, has recently complained that both the city and the university haven’t made any real changes. Not surprisingly, the water quality of the creek hasn’t improved any. Whatever the reasons, the Environmental Protection Agency became involved to address the impairment and encourage community involvement to develop and monitor the creek’s health, which city council will vote on later this month. For now, change is contingent upon us as citizens of Columbia to make a conscious effort to reduce pollution to the creek and demand the city government address Hinkson’s poor health.
