Meramec River shown to be longer thanks to GPS, kayakers

ST. LOUIS -- It may not rival the multistate meanderings of the Ol' Man or the Big Muddy, but this year the Meramec River may have become just a little mightier.

In March a group of kayakers and canoeists set out to paddle the river's length, from its headwaters in the Ozarks to its confluence with the Mississippi River in Arnold, Mo. For the group, an informal bunch of paddling enthusiasts who call themselves kayakswarm, the trip was a recreational challenge, though one with a mission: to document the entire length of the river by collecting data and pictures along the way.

But about halfway down the river, they realized their old map, in a Missouri Conservation Department guidebook that paddlers have been using for decades, wasn't matching up with their newer satellite-derived coordinates. Using mapping software, GPS and Google Earth, one of the members figured out that old maps had been shortchanging the Meramec by about eight miles.

"If you look at the existing literature, it suggests the river is 193 miles long," said Jim Darlington, aka "the swarm master," who organizes logistics for each outing. "But we've identified eight more miles. That's good news -- eight more miles of water in Missouri."

While no official pronouncements have been made, state officials so far have supported the kayak group's efforts and findings.

It's not clear why the river was mis-mapped; no one can track down the person who originally authored the guide. But the newfound length isn't a consequence of changes in the river's course.

"The river has changed," said Bernie Arnold, who measured the discrepancies. "But it hasn't changed that much."

On Saturday morning the group met at Robertsville State Park for the penultimate outing in its "Great Meramec GPS Paddle," as they've dubbed the venture. The members have met over the course of 17 weekends, and next weekend, they'll gather a final time to finish the trip.

"It started out as a challenge," said Barb Bullock, of Eureka, Mo., one of the paddlers. "Then it became a service."

And an adventure.

"The first 20 miles there were a lot of trees down. We had to portage our kayaks 20 times," Bullock said, remembering the first paddle of the trip. "You got slapped in the face so many times, and you're covered in dirt and spider webs. It was 45 degrees in April. Dan flipped over and got stuck against a log. That scared us a bit."

Saturday, to mark the signing of the Clean Water Act, on Oct. 18, 1972, the kayakswarm paddlers joined with volunteers from Missouri's Stream Teams -- groups all over the state that collect water samples and haul trash from waterways -- to paddle from Robertsville to Pacific Palisades.

One of the volunteers, David Kuechenmeister, of Jennings, Mo., has been helping Stream Teams for 11 years.

Kuechenmeister pointed out that although 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water, only 1 percent is rivers and lakes. "We have to take care of them," he said.

Besides, he added, "I just like the river." However long it is.