Fish and mussels returned to these rivers after decades of cleanup. But new threats loom ^19.7%

STLPR - By Celia Llopis-Jepsen - 6/8/2026, 9:00 AM

Negativity Bias 20.8% - Appeal to Authority 13.4% - Availability Heuristic 12.8%

For around a century, heavy metals from one of the world's top lead and zinc mining regions pummeled the Spring River. By the mid-20th century, the wildlife had taken a beating in this waterway that flows from the Missouri Ozarks into Kansas and down to Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, a popular vacation spot. “The fish community was greatly... more