Before I get into this week's subject matter, I wanted to tell you that Ozarks Water Watch has just established an "organization" Facebook page. I have had a personal Facebook page for around a year now mainly to keep track of ours kids and grandkids but for an organization's page things are a little different. Instead of becoming "friends" with Ozarks Water Watch, you go to our Facebook page and "like" it. Once there, feel free to post pictures, videos, events and comments on water quality happenings in the Upper White River Basin. The Ozarks Water Watch Facebook page hopefully will be a place to keep up on watershed activities and events.

Now to the subject at hand. Ozarks Water Watch opened a new office this week in Rogers, AR. Ozarks Water Watch (formerly the Upper White River Basin Foundation) has always been a bi-state organization working to protect water quality in the Upper White River Basin, which includes Beaver, Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lakes. Our Board of Trustees represent both Arkansas and Missouri fairly equally. The watershed is also fairly equally divided between Arkansas and Missouri (see map below):

and while the states' water quality problems are similar, the political boundaries dictate that the solutions to these problems take different approaches. Not only do the states have different responsibilities assigned to their regulatory agencies such as the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, the Missouri Department of Resources, Arkansas Fish & Game and the Missouri Department of Conservation, the two states reside in different Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regions. Needless to say, each regulatory agency has its unique way of doing things. To better address these issues and to be able to more work closely with the local water quality groups from each state, Ozarks Water Watch felt having an office in each state was the best approach.

The office in Rogers resides in a very unique location, the Center for Nonprofits.

In October 2008, Mercy Health System donated the former St. Mary's Hospital campus to the Jones Trust for the establishment of a Center for Nonprofits. This donation provided a unique opportunity to develop a regional example for sustainability through the re-use of the buildings, increased operating efficiencies, and increased service capacity for the nonprofit tenants. The Center for Nonprofits unites many nonprofit programs and activities under one roof who are working to better the quality of life for the residents in the region.

Among the organizations who call the Center home are the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, Youth Bridge, Experience Works, Sources, Catholic Charities, NWACC - Culinary Institute, Community Clinic Rogers Medical, Saving Grace, Inc., along with Ozarks Water Watch. Each organization also enjoys the use of a variety of newly remodeled meeting rooms. A budget of $8,000,000 was established to renovate and update the facility with a focus on updating the energy systems to make them more efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective and on sustainability and green building practices:

• Replace all lighting with energy-efficient lights
• Replace steam boilers with hot water system
• Upgrade heating and air conditioning systems
• Expand sprinkler system throughout the building
• Increase building safety and disability access
• Installation of a rain garden on the campus

The mission of Ozarks Water Watch 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. To realize our vision of having the four major lakes of the Upper White River Basin become the cleanest manmade lakes in North America, the Foundation board has established the following priorities:

·         Monitor and report on water quality in the basin

·         Provide advocacy on public policy issues which affect water quality and the watersheds

·         Emphasize public information, education, promotion and communication about water quality issues

·         Support allied watershed groups working in common cause

·         Seek long-term sustainable funding support for water quality work in the Ozarks

We feel the establishment of our new office in Rogers, Arkansas will help us in our ongoing water quality efforts.