Public Policy Recommendations
John E. Moore, Jr.
The mission of Ozarks Water Watch is a broad one intended to help realize the vision of having the Ozarks home to the cleanest man-made lakes in North America. Our mission is to promote water quality in the upper White River watershed through bi-state collaboration on research, education, public policy and action projects basin-wide in both Arkansas and Missouri.
We implement this mission in a variety of ways with one of the most potent, perhaps, being our role in identifying and promoting sound public policy in furtherance of the mission. As an incorporated not-for-profit organization, this role does not involve lobbying, but it certainly extends to speaking out and supporting public policy initiatives which help assure high water quality.
The research work we sponsor, specifically the annual "Status of the Watershed" report, provides a sound basis for making recommendations to restore and sustain the region's rivers, lakes and streams. During the recent meeting of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, we considered in some detail public policy implications of the most recent Status report. We concluded that several recommendations for public policy followed from the report's conclusion that water quality in the basin region merited only a "middling C" grade with much room for improvement.
We have just made a news release about these recommendations and copies of this release with encouragement to address them are being sent to county and local officials throughout the region. The news release is included below. We will follow up on these issues as we continue our research and public policy advocacy in fulfilling our mission.
Foundation Calls for Action to Protect Ozark Rivers and Lakes
June 17, 2010
In its recent meeting the Board of Trustees of the Ozarks Water Watch Foundation issued a call to action with recommendations to assure improved water quality in lakes and streams of the region. The board affirmed the importance of state regulatory support as well as municipal and county action to manage rain runoff, the source of non-point pollutants, particularly sediment and nutrients, which are washed into Ozark watersheds.
The Foundation's recommendations for needed regulation to manage runoff more effectively are divided into three priority areas:
1. Development activities including both private and public projects like road construction and maintenance.
While there is regulation affecting many private construction projects, the board noted that public projects including new and unpaved road maintenance are often not covered by current regulations.
2. Septic systems including on-site septic tanks and decentralized or "clustered" systems.
The board recommended that septic tanks be inspected and certified as being in proper working order before property sales or transfers are completed. Decentralized wastewater systems as alternatives to individual septic tanks should be allowed if not now approved provided appropriate requirements for operation, maintenance and indemnification in case of system failure are included.
3. Soil tests and nutrient prescriptions for lawn care companies.
Excessive nutrients applied to lawns are often washed with runoff into the nearest watershed and regulations are needed to assure that fertilizer is applied according to plans based on simple soil analysis.
These recommendations follow the Foundation's annual "Status of the Watershed" report that evaluates and tracks trends in water quality in the upper White River basin of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. The most recent report concluded that while rivers and streams of the region are threatened by continuing development, water quality, essentially stable from prior years, was nonetheless only of mediocre quality earning a "middling C" grade. The rivers and streams of the region drain to Beaver, Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lakes on the White River. Relevant reports are available on the Foundation's website at uwrb.org.
For further information, contact John Moore at the Ozarks Water Watch Foundation, 417-334-7644 or on line at jmoore@uwrb.org.
