SPRINGFIELD -- Dogged by questions from the media following a Springfield News -Leader report, Governor Jay Nixon repeatedly denied knowing anything about a withheld E.coli report until just a few days before it was released to the public.

Nixon also said he never had a meeting with a Department of Natural Resources official about the report that outlined dangerous levels of E.Coli in Lake of the Ozarks.

His comments were in response to a News-Leader story that said a state DNR official requested a copy of the report to take to a early June meeting with the Governor's office.  That was weeks before it was released to the public. 

But Nixon repeatedly said he didn't know about the report until July.

"The first time I became aware of this was in July when it was reported publicly," said Nixon.  "I did not have a meeting on June 3rd or 4th on this matter. The first time I became aware of it was in mid July.  I don't know how many times I can say that, I said it when it first came to my attention in mid July," he went on.

The DNR official did meet with a Nixon aide in June, but the E.Coli report was never mentioned, according to the Governor's office.

"I did not have that meeting, it didn't exist," Nixon said.

The published report provides new fuel to a state Senate committee that is launching an investigation into who knew what about the dangerous E.Coli levels -- and when.

Springfield State Rep. Bob Dixon has told KY3 News that whoever decided to withhold the report should be held responsible.

"A person who would do something like that in the private sector would lose their job. If a business did it, what would happen? People would no longer patronize that business. We need, got to have accountability," Dixon said.

"I've expressed to the director and that team out there that I expect immediate changes and I expect to get them," Nixon said.