(Greene County, MO)  Construction crews are working on sites across the Ozarks.  The projects can affect traffic and local businesses, but they can also impact the environment.

If not managed properly, construction sites can flood local streams with silt and pollutants.  With all the construction in the area, KOLR10/KSFX looked into how the sites are affecting the sometimes fragile environments below the surface, in local caves.

Despite all the construction, underground streams and pools in Greene County are keeping clean.

Drivers see the trucks and the cones; they hear the clanking and buzzing of the work.

However, before workers start all the action, crews have to think about the environment.

They put up barriers to block silt and set up drainage systems.

Ron Effland works for the Missouri Department of Transportation.  He says projects have to meet strict guidelines and regulations.  He says sites in this area are no exception.

"[We] try to filter out all the sediment that gets in the runoff and filter it out before it leaves the site," said Effland. "So the water coming in essentially looks the same as it does going out."

However, the  drainage can run into local streams and even caves.

Runoff from downtown Springfield can make its way into Giboney Cave. During severe rain or flooding it can carry oil and other pollutants into the cave's stream.

"The water's actually flowing pretty rapidly, so it flushes through the system pretty good," said Melvin Johnson, a member of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

He says a special crawfish lives in this cave.

"Its on the concerned list in Missouri," Johnson said.

The small creature needs clean waters to survive.  He says although construction is prevalent, it's not affecting the county's caves.

"The water's running clear, if you had a problem there it would be visibly showing up or when they do the water testing," said Johnson, referring to the water coming out of Giboney Cave.

He says the bigger problem could be your neighbor.

"They just go out and they want to get rid of something, so they'll dump something," Johnson said.

For now, regulations and natures filters are keeping local cavern streams safe.

Ozark Cavefish, an endangered species in the state, also lives in some area caves.