Lager Claims Cover Up Over E. Coli Report

Jefferson City, MO – The Missouri State Senator leading an inquiry into the delayed release of the Lake of the Ozarks E-coli report says there appears to be an organized cover up in progress.

Republican Brad Lager chairs the senate committee that oversees environmental issues. He says there's been a clear effort by Department of Natural Resources staff to mislead senate investigators:

Lager: "We have been given 500-thousand emails that were not in a searchable format when we asked why they were not put in a searchable format, the vendor tells us DNR specifically told them not to."

Lager says an outside investigation may be necessary. DNR Director Mark Templeton recently told senate investigators that delaying the release of the report for a month did not pose a public health risk because bacteria die in lake water after about four days.