The water that flows through Fulton on a daily basis is the focus of the new group formed by city utility workers.
However, Fulton Stream Team members are looking for community involvement, according to Kyle Bruemmer, interim city engineer. An informational meeting will be 6 p.m. June 7 at Fulton City Hall.
"The reason why we started this is the city has a number of issues," he said. "We've got two permits with the (state) Department of Natural Resources. One is the wastewater treatment plant. The second is our storm water permit."
Both of those permits address two streams flowing through Fulton: Stinson Creek and Smith Branch.
"Both talk about quality of water in Fulton, and keeping water clean," Bruemmer said. "They center around the environment when it comes to water in Fulton."
Both permits demand certain requirements to improve water quality, he added.
"Especially storm water runoff - how does government control the quality of water?" he said. "We felt to make an impact and actually accomplish (better) water quality, we had to engage Fulton's greatest asset, its people."
Both water assets have noted problems with pollution, both from storm water runoff and people just dumping things in the creeks and the city's stormwater drains.
"If we don't inform people what impacts their actions have on those waters we really can't make much of an impact," Bruemmer said. "When they dump stuff into storm drains, like motor oil, it goes to the creek, and now we have some nasty things in the creek."
Stinson Creek enters Fulton from the northwest side, an area developed with a fenced-in dog park, also the northern access to the city's 4-plus mile walking trail. The creek and its namesake trail meander through town, around ball fields and playgrounds and picnic areas. It's already in trouble, he said.
"Stinson Creek is listed as an impaired stream with the Department of Natural Resources," Bruemmer said. "It has low dissolved oxygen and too much organic sediment."
Stinson is not spring fed; rather, it collects water from the terrain, such as rain and surface runoff.
"Smith Branch runs to Stinson Creek on the southeast side of Fulton on the other side of the wastewater treatment plant," Bruemmer said, adding it also touches on Fulton Country Club, William Woods University and Tanglewood Golf Course.
Protecting and cleaning up those assets is the point of the Fulton Stream Team.
"Our goal, if you will, is really to inform the community about the importance and quality of surface water in Fulton. And with that, motivating the people with fun, engaging opportunities," Bruemmer said.
The city recently sent two utility workers to a seminar about water quality with the state's Department of Environmental Quality.
"We're trying to learn what life in a healthy creek is like, versus an unhealthy creek," he added.
Information about restoration efforts will be presented at the June 7 meeting.
"We'll share thoughts and talk about the work we've done to date," Bruemmer said, adding he hopes people also come to share their points of view. "We may have really amazing resources living right here in Fulton. We're hoping to get involvement from the community to help us do this."
That includes working with local schools and colleges, he added.
"We're kind of at the infancy stage, but we're trying to grow this," Bruemmer said. "We're hoping, being a city-backed organization, it will be a long-term organization."
For more information, call Kyle Bruemmer at 573-592-3162 or Scott Carlson, new storm water inspector with the city, at 573-592-3111.