Open Space STL recently provided community members with updates on plans to reduce pollution in Hamilton Creek as well as the Lower Meramec watershed.
The organization held a meeting at Wildwood City Hall on Oct. 27, and more than 20 stakeholders and residents attended.
Bonnie Harper, executive director for the conservation nonprofit, said the plan is funded through a Section 319 grant administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The first Lower Meramec watershed improvement plan was established by East West Gateway Council of Governments in 2012. That plan was updated in 2017 and will be updated again to include Hamilton Creek, Harper said.
The third draft of the plan has been submitted, and once approved by the EPA, those funds can be used to implement the plan, she said.
On Oct. 30, Harper said the organization expects approval within the next three to six months.
The Meramec River serves as a drinking water source for a large portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Hamilton Creek
According to Open Space STL, the Hamilton Creek Watershed is 34.956 acres or 54.6 square miles. Hamilton Creek enters the Meramec River in the Glencoe area of Wildwood, 30 miles upstream.
It contains portions of St. Louis County near Wildwood, Eureka, Ellisville and Ballwin as well as portions of Jefferson County near Byrnes Mill, High Ridge and Peaceful Village.
Stacy Arnold, who is the founder of Stormwater Solutions, the watershed cleaning consultant for Open Space STL, said a cooperative stream investigation project in the watershed was performed from March to June of this year.
Arnold said E. coli is the primary pollutant of concern in the watershed. But other pollutants, including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total suspended solids and discharge measurements, are monitored in the area.
She said the stream investigation, which was conducted by herself, DNR and volunteers, measured E. coli levels at several creeks in the area, including Flat Creek, Forby Creek, Hamilton Creek and Carr Creek.
She said all the readings at the sites exceeded the average E. coli level of 206 MPN (most probable number) per 100 milliliters (ml).
A site at Forby Creek in Eureka measured the highest amount of E. coli at 833.6/100 ml MPN.
Arnold said the biggest threats to water quality in the Hamilton Creek watershed are deforestation and urbanization.
According to an interactive map from the EPA’s Enviro Atlas, 1,063 acres of deciduous forest and pasture/hay were lost in the watershed between 2001 and 2019. That same map shows that 927 acres were developed at that same time.
Current Open Space STL data states that 55 percent of the watershed is deciduous forest and 28 percent is developed.
Joe Vujnich, director of Wildwood’s planning and parks department, thanked Arnold and Harper for their work.
“Obviously this has been a labor of love because it’s been going on for a very long time,” he said on Oct. 27. “It’s actually gonna benefit a whole lot of people, particularly here in the city of Wildwood.”
Ridge Road
Open Space STL is also looking into buying an 81-acre property in Wildwood as part of its efforts to reduce water pollution in the region.
Denise and Tom Reid of Pacific own the 81.34-acre property on Ridge Road which stretches along the Meramec River.
The property also borders Rock Hollow Valley, a popular hiking and recreation spot.
Harper said Open Space STL was seeking a federal grant to purchase the Ridge Road land, but the grant never opened.
Harper expressed her gratitude to the Reids while Open Space raises funds to buy their property.
“They’ve been patient while this has played out,” she said.
In December 2025, the Wildwood City Council authorized spending more than $100,000 to connect the Zombie East Trail to the Ridge Road property by adding a natural surface trail, trailhead and parking spaces near an access point on Ridge Road.
During the meeting, Vujnich said those funds have now been earmarked for the 2028 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Harper said Open Space STL will continue to pursue fundraising efforts to buy the Ridge Road property, which was recently listed on online real estate marketplace Zillow for $2.65 million.
“We don’t have an appraisal yet,” Harper said.
“That’s the number we’re working with (for fundraising) for now until that appraisal is done.”
For more information on the Hamilton Creek and Lower Meramec watersheds, visit openspacestl.org