WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS OF FINGER LAKES STATE PARK, MISSOURI: POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF A RECLAIMED COAL MINE

Finger Lakes State Park (FLSP), a reclaimed coal mine approximately 24 kilometers north of Columbia, Missouri, is now used as a recreational area. It is the only known public recreational reservoir in Missouri that was once a coal mine. Because abandoned coal mines can negatively impact the water quality, this project uses water quality analyses to understand the potential physical effects of this unique Missouri lake system. The only known water quality data from FLSP is for E. coli in the designated swimming area of the lake. The current study conducted water quality tests that included pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, iron, carbon dioxide, sulfide, and sulfate at four different locations (FLSP-1, FLSP-2, FLSP-3, FLSP-4) and three depths (surface, middle, and bottom). Water samples were collected and analyzed in 2016 after the fall turnover. There is little variability among tested samples from surface and middle depths of locations FLSP-1, -2, and -3, but location FLSP-4 exhibits higher values of sulfide, sulfate, and conductivity. All sulfate values at FLSP exceeds the standard of 250 mg/L. Overall, decreasing values of sulfide, sulfate, and conductivity occur from FLSP-4 to FLSP-1. Location FLSP-4 is of particular interest, because this is adjacent to a known excavation area. The same water quality tests were conducted for Long Branch State Park (LBSP), which is a reservoir approximately 90 kilometers north of FLSP. This lake was chosen for comparison because it was not a reclaimed coal mine, proximity to FLSP, used recreationally, and contains a swimming area. Data analyses indicate FLSP had significantly higher levels of sulfate (99.6% higher than LBSP), and LBSP had significantly higher levels of iron (32.5% higher than FLSP). Iron values were concentrated near the swimming area of LBSP. Although the current study reports preliminary data, additional research is required to further understand the water quality of FLSP and its impact on the surrounding environment and human communities.