The final report has not been written yet, but a Senate committee is calling the Department of Natural Resources an agency that is in chaos, lacking leadership, and accusing it of deliberately trying to disrupt the committee review of DNR’s operations. The review was triggered by water quality problems at the Lake of the Ozarks last year and DNR’s delay in reporting high e-coli bateria levels in some areas. .

The top two members of the committee have filed legislation taking DNR’s water quality testing program away from it and transferring those responsibilities to the Department of Health.

Democratic members of the committee claim Lager has politicized the long-running investigation and say they want changes made before the final report is released.