I spent last Friday afternoon with my wife enjoying Table Rock Lake in our deck boat. We decided to anchor in a small cove in Piney Creek arm for awhile, reading our books and enjoying the fall colors just coming on the trees. During our outing, we saw our first two eagles of the season. Bald eagles migrate down from Canada to spend the winter with us each year on Table Rock and we never lose that excitement when the first one is spotted. Later we took a cruise to Kimberling City.
I will have to say the water looked good. I know that is not very scientific sounding but that is how residents and visitors of Table Rock Lake view water quality. Terms such as secchi disk readings, mg/L of phosphorous, chlorophyll levels and dissolved oxygen mean very little to most people. The public makes their judgments based on "how does the water look". In fact, my next door neighbor told me last week that the lake looked better than it has in years. He was referring to water clarity. And he is right. I have been doing testing for the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program for 8 years in the Cape Fair area and this is the clearest year yet.
But how do we answer the question that I am asked so often by friends and family: "How is the water?" While I can tell them about my little piece of the watershed near Cape Fair, what about the creeks, streams, rivers and the other three lakes in the Upper White River Basin? How is the water?
Ozarks Water Watch Foundation continues to try to answer that question with our third annual Status of the Watershed Report. The full version is now posted on our web site (see link at the end of this article) and the condensed brochure should be ready in a few weeks. This third annual report is based on a region-wide assessment of the quality of Ozark waters. It is intended to provide a general answer to the question, "How is the water?" As importantly, by raising flags this study can point directions for focused measures to safeguard our rivers, lakes and streams. The report is based on sound scientific studies of water quality conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and science faculty from the University of Arkansas and Missouri State University.
This year's report includes the results of several assessments of water quality in the upper White River basin. The first assessment is based on the analysis of water quality samples conducted by USGS. The samples are analyzed for chemical, physical and biological parameters and are summarized in a "Water Quality Index" or "WQI" score with a letter grade assigned.
A second assessment is stream surveys of macroinvertebrates, the little creatures that live under the rocks in streams and act like canaries in the mine. Their presence or absence is a strong indicator of the ecological health of the stream and constitutes a second dimension of water quality in a "Stream Condition Index" or "SCI." Each site evaluated is rated according to an index scale and characterized as "unimpaired," "impaired" and "very impaired."
The good news is that for the most part, our rivers, lakes and streams are adequate for swimming, fishing, boating and with proper treatment, drinking water supplies. And from the perception of the people who use and enjoy our streams, rivers and lakes, they can say the water looks good. The results of our testing and overall assessment of water quality during the past year and also for the previous two years show our waters generally are neither very bad nor very good earning them a "C" grade.
It is also good news that so far we have not found a trend of declining water quality. We seem to be holding our own. But with the pressures from increased development and population, it would not take long for our water quality grade to slide to a "D" or even an "F". The foundation will continue to monitor our waters, looking for areas of concern and working to protect and improve the waters of the Upper White River Basin. You can find the complete 94 page 2010 Status of the Watershed Report on our web site at:
http://www.ozarkswaterwatch.org/documents/2010finalwaterqualityreport.pdf
Quote of the Week
There has been a lot said about the sacredness of our land which is our body; and the values of our culture which is our soul; but water is the blood of our tribes, and if its life-giving flow is stopped, or it is polluted, all else will die and the many thousands of years of our communal existence will come to an end.
Frank Tenorio
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