Spring River Watershed Partnership Mtg #6

The Spring River Watershed Partnership Committee met today. Strategic tasks included: (1) accepting the Spring River Watershed Management Plan for HUC #11070207140002, (2) discussing educational and planning grants that compliment the Watershed management Plan, (3) learning about initiatives in the Spring River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS)-Cherokee County, KS and the Grand Lake Watershed Plan, (4) discussing strategies to promote and develop Missouri Stream Teams along the Spring River Watershed, including adjacent landowners, educational and citizen groups, (5) developing a council of regional watershed groups, including: Grand Lake O' The Cherokee Alliance, Spring River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS), Upper Shoal Creek and Lower Shoal Creek Watershed Partnerships, Elk River Watershed Improvement Association (ERWIA) and the Spring River Watershed Alliance, and (6) a WRAPS project (Cherokee Co., KS) to keep prescription drugs out of the water supply. (7) It was also reported that the Jasper County Health Department received grant funding to expand testing for E.coli, at 24 additional sites in Jasper County streams and creeks. (8) The Committee discussed creation a Citizen's Advisory Committee for the purpose of continued input, planning and execution of the Spring River Watershed Partnership Plan. (9) The Committee discussed the possibility of collecting water quality data from regional Stream Teams, currently testing for pH, nitrates, dissolved O2, turbidity and conductivity. The Jasper County Health Department is only testing for E.coli. (10) Committee Members indicated an interest in floating the designated Spring River Watershed (County Rd 100 to County Rd 200).