The Environmental Protection agency says the state of Missouri has improperly declared 99 rivers and streams exempt from federal Clean Water Act protections. The State Clean Water Commission has designated four-thousand lakes and streams for recreational use but had exempted 142 streams from having to meet clean water standards for recreation. The EPA has upheld the exemption for 42 streams and has told the state 99 other streams should meet water quality standards for recreation. The EPA plans further studies on a 196-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that the sate says should not meet recreational clean water standards.