Recent Headlines in Spring River Watershed

More and more concern is being focused on the Spring River watershed in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. Below are recent newspaper headlines and publications decribing efforts to identify, then organize groups to begin developing strategies to protect and preserve the natural resource we have.

Officials Explore Watershed Committee for Spring River, The Carthage Press reported, 1/4/2008, that Jasper County Eastern District Commissioner Jim Honey, Jasper County Health Department Director Tony Moehr and Bob Nichols, Webb City resident who has spearheaded the creation of such groups as the Tri-State Water Resources Coalition, all said they are exploring ways to do something to improve the quality of the water in the Spring River. The three agreed to meet with officials with the University of Missouri Extension Service who are experienced in setting up watershed groups and applying for grants, then set up an exploratory committee to decide how much of the Spring River watershed they wanted to tackle and what kind of group to form.

Watershed Group Reaching out to Landowners, The Joplin Globe reported 10/26/2007 that support of property owners will be the key element in any plans shaped for the lower Shoal Creek watershed. The Lower Shoal Creek Watershed Committee has sent out the first round of surveys to property owners along the stream to gauge their “knowledge and perception of water quality issues,” said Craig Jones, a planner for the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council, which is advising the group. A second round of surveys is planned for later this year.

Soil and Water District Awaits Word on North Fork Grant, and Conservation Group Seeks Funds, The Joplin Globe, 11/24/2007 reported that Jasper County Soil and Water Conservation District, is seeking about $1.5 million in federal funding to improve water quality in the North Fork of Spring River; the goal is to lower sediment getting into the stream by up to 35 percent by implementing a variety of streamside and watershed management projects. Money is being sought from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. In addition to this grant, the project could be eligible for $1.9 million in matching funds (including in-kind services) and $37,326 in other federal money. The total project cost would be around $3.4 million.

The previous article, 10/7/2007, reported that the application relates to a 251,360-acre watershed, most of which is in Barton and Jasper counties. Lawrence County residents who own land in the 4,000 acres in that county that are part of the North Fork watershed also may participate. Work to improve water quality also could help reduce flooding along the stream. A potential goal of the grant is to develop 20 controlled grazing systems to keep livestock out of streams. Such systems would fence off streams and take water to cattle.

Compiled Testing Results Raise Stream Worries, The Joplin Globe, 10/26/2007 reported that parts of several streams in Jasper and Newton counties were classified as “impaired” earlier this year, but two residents concerned about water quality say more should be added to the federal listing. Wayne Christian, of Carthage, and Dewayne Miller, of Goodman, say bacteria levels are high on streams throughout the region, based on tests done by health departments and volunteer stream teams last summer. The two have compiled results of tests done by health departments in Jasper, Newton and Lawrence counties in Missouri, the Cherokee County Health Department in Kansas and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The information will be shared with the participating agencies, and submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, to support an argument that more streams should be classified as impaired.

Shoal Creek Conservation Area, This is a link to a Missouri Department of Conservation fact sheet on the Shoal Creek Conservation Opportunity Area (COA). It describes the strategies, priority research and inventory needs, a list of present and prospective partners and conservation challenges for the COA.

New Group Set to Tackle Water Issues, The Joplin Globe, 11/12/2007 reported that a new water resources group has formed to coordinate the activities of watershed groups in the Four-State Area. The organizers of the Multi-Basin Regional Water Council met for their first summit at the Bentonville (Ark.) Public Library to talk about water issues in the region. After a three-hour conference, the representatives of the 25 or so water groups attending decided to form the council. Among the groups attending the conference were the Elk River Watershed Improvement Association in McDonald County, the Tri-State Water Resource Coalition, the Grand Lake (Okla.) Watershed Foundation and the Beaver (Ark.) Water District. Bill Millagers, a Rogers, Ark., resident who organized the conference, said the makeup of the council reflects the fact that both surface water and groundwater flow across state lines. “All of these groups are interlocked,” he said. “Because of that, this council could make a difference in discussions of policy, infrastructure investment and the protection of watersheds.”

Group Establishes Top Environmental Priorities for Spring River, Clean drinking water, and healthy and abundant aquatic life were among the top best-case scenarios for the future of the Spring River watershed determined Thursday by members of The Spring River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Group. Safe water recreation was a third priority. Among the worst-case scenarios: a river polluted beyond repair, and contamination and disappearance of aquatic life. The group at its fourth meeting also heard about watershed protection groups in Missouri and Oklahoma. The group is supported by See-Kan Resource Conservation and Development and Pittsburg State University. The Joplin Globe, 8/9/2007.

Task Force Updated on Waste Cleanup, The Joplin Globe quotes, 7/24/2007, Mark Doolan, project manager with the Environmental Protection Agency, at a meeting of the Environmental Task Force of Jasper and Newton Counties, regarding an update from on water-quality testing in Spring River. Water samples are being tested for heavy metals, Doolan said, and the results should be available in the next few weeks. Once that is completed, tests for toxicity will begin. The tests will measure chemical compounds such as phosphates, pesticides, nitrates and other substances.

Flooding Flushes Bacteria into Jasper County Streams w/ Water Quality Testing Data for Spring River in Jasper County, The Joplin Globe, reported 6/24/2007 Bacteria levels in Spring River at Kellogg Lake exceeded federal standards more than tenfold after the rainstorms more than a week ago. That’s according to data compiled by the Jasper County Health Department showing the results of weekly testing of streams throughout the county since late May. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends against swimming in water with E. coli levels of 235 colonies per 100 milliliters of water. The sample taken June 13 at Kellogg Lake tested at 2,419.6 colonies. The eight samples taken that day from Center Creek, Spring River and Turkey Creek tested above federal levels, all but one at least seven times over the standard.

Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas Watershed Groups, This is link to a Natural Resources Conservation Service publication, listing all of the watershed initiatives in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas, including contact and historical information for each.