E. coli cover up suspected in Dept. of Natural Resources

Intro:	Officials say they suspect a cover up in the Department of Natural Resources. Allison Blood has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder's top spokesman said public safety was compromised when the Department of Natural Resources failed to close beaches at the Lake of the Ozarks this summer.

Spokesman Gary Mcelyea said an departmental investigation will help sort out the situation.

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Description: "It seems that the controversy continues to grow and possibly even a cover up in the Department of Natural Resources and we're not sure how far that goes."

Mcelyea said there are too many unanswered questions.

Governor Jay Nixon called for the investigation on Wednesday, claiming the public was put at risk by the dangerously high levels of E. coli present in the lake.

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Description: "These repeated failures make it clear that there are significant problems within the department with respect to handling water quality issues."

Nixon suspended DNR Director Mark Templeton for two weeks without pay for giving Nixon false information.

Nixon said there were certain contaminated beaches that should have been closed after the initial water sampling.

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Description: "My office learned yesterday that in fact park beach one was not closed following the May 18 sampling, nor was it closed following the sampling on May 27."

Nixon said it's troubling because Missourians swam in the lake over Labor Day weekend, and could have been put at risk because of it.

Nixon's aide, Jeff Mazur, received a report in May outlining the dangerous E. coli levels at the lake, and did not bring it to Nixon's attention.

Mazur said the information was incomplete and inconclusive.

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Description: "I didn't have any numbers, any paper, any tanglible results and it was made clear to me that these were results on which there wasn't sufficient information for any conclusions to be drawn."

Mazur admitted he should have asked the DNR more questions.

In the wake of the controversy, Nixon said he is launching an effort to clean up the lake, and a representative from his office called it "mission critical."

From Jefferson City, this is Allison Blood, KSMU News.

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Intro:	Cover up is the word at the Capitol after Governor Jay Nixon's conference Wednesday. Allison Blood has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Republican Leutinent Governor Peter Kinder's top spokesman said an investigation of the Department of Natural Resources will probably reveal a cover up.

Gary Mcelyea, Kinder's spokesman, said there are too many unanswered questions.

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Description: "We think results from that investigation is vital to the public safety and health and wellbeing of Missourians, especially those who visited the Lake of the Ozarks and will continue to do so."

Nixon ordered a departmental investigation on Wednesday when he found out DNR gave him false information about beach closings at the lake.

Nixon suspended DNR Director Mark Templeton for two weeks without pay.

From Jefferson City, this is Allison Blood.

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