SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. — Things are looking better at a sewage treatment plant that sparked outrage at Lake of the Ozarks in January.

At that time, a LakeExpo/KY3 joint investigation revealed the plant operator, Public Works Director Brian Schieter, was dumping raw sewage on a hillside that drained into Lake of the Ozarks. The treatment plant and related public works operations were investigated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the village was cited for multiple violations. The violations took place in 2019; LakeExpo and KY3 broke the story on Jan. 3, 2020, and Schieter had been relieved of his sewage treatment plant duties by the end of January. The village contracted with Lake Ozark Environmental to operate the plant.

Read LakeExpo’s full coverage at the end of this story.

Now, 10 months later, DNR Environmental Supervisor for Central Field Operations Joe Stoops says LOE is “operating the plant appropriately and doing a good job.” The company continues to make upgrades and improvements at the plant, Stoops said, and their mandated water quality tests look good. Stoops noted there have been a few reports of malodors in the area, but he said those have all resulted from instances in which the plant has had to pump sludge out into a pump truck to be hauled off and disposed of.

The village has recently hired a new Public Works Director, David Knogl, and the plan is to phase-out their dependence on Lake Ozark Environmental (LOE) and keep their sewer plant maintenance in-house. Village staff said they were happy with the work LOE had done, but they would obtain cost-savings by keeping the maintenance of all the city's sewer plants in-house.

The city has been building a second sewer plant, which is almost ready to be connected. "When that comes online, most of the city will then be served," Corbin said. Knogle added, "We’re moving forward… we’ve got roads to fix, expansion, annexation… it’s a booming town right now."


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