Secchi Day on Beaver Lake August 20th

Many times I am asked, "What can I do to help, to make a difference in the environment, in water quality?" One of the easiest things a person can do is to volunteer for lake and stream water quality monitoring or cleanup efforts. Some the of the statewide organizations that you can contact are the Missouri Stream Team, the Arkansas Stream Team, the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program, Arkansas Watershed Advisory Group or your local water quality organization.

A current opportunity to help is to join the Fun at Secchi Day on Beaver Lake. Volunteers are needed to gather water samples and participate in the activities. The sixth annual Secchi Day on Beaver Lake will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 20th, at Prairie Creek on Beaver Lake, five miles east of Rogers, AR on Hwy. 12. The event is organized by Beaver Water District and seven partner organizations and is named for the Secchi Disk, a black and white device lowered into the water to measure clarity. Secchi Day on Beaver Lake offers opportunities both for volunteer "citizen" scientists, as well as the general public. 

Water Testing Volunteer using Secchi Disk

Those who want to volunteer to collect water samples and take Secchi Disk readings will need to supply their own boat and be willing to meet at launch sites at 8:30 a.m. that morning. When you volunteer, you simply show up at one of four launch sites on the lake that morning, get your kit of materials, boat out to a pre-determined location that will be provided to you, take the depth reading and collect the samples, then motor back to the launch site to turn in the results. It's not a very long process, but you will be helping collect data that will give a good snapshot of the lake's water quality. This is very important, since Beaver Lake is the primary drinking water source for Northwest Arkansas. You will be a "citizen scientist" helping to monitor water quality in your own back yard! For information about volunteering you can e-mail your name and a daytime phone number to Brad Hufhines at bhufhines@bwdh2o.org. 

That's not all, though! You don't need a boat to participate! A free, family-friendly Water Education Festival also will be held and prizes will be awarded. Activities include the Water Challenge Walk, Pontoon Boat Rides, Audubon bird walks, and a photo contest. In addition, lunch will be served to the first 300 people. For information, call Amy at 479-717-3807, visit bwdh2o.org, or visit the event on Facebook.

Audubon Arkansas, Beaver Water District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Beaver Lake, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Hobbs State Park, Arkansas Master Naturalists, and the Association for Beaver Lake Environment are all co-sponsors of Secchi Day on Beaver Lake.

Beaver Water District supplies drinking water to more than 300,000 people and industries in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and surrounding areas. The District's mission is to serve their customers' needs by providing high quality drinking water that meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements and is economically priced consistent with our quality standards. For information, visit bwdh2o.org.

Secchi Disk Trivia:

Quote of the Week

~ Filthy water cannot be washed.~West African Proverb

Current News Articles

Advances in Remote Stormwater Monitoring 

Many monitoring programs require estimates of pollutant levels in discharges to receiving waters, especially Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) studies or Daily Average (DA) calculations. These estimates typically satisfy requirements in state Industrial Stormwater Permits. For accurate estimates, rainfall data, instantaneous flow data, and analytical samples must be collected. The samples are usually collected 24-7, with the exception of holidays. However, some industrial sampling programs require sampling during the facility's operating hours, which could be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can choose from several sampling approaches to complement the study design, satisfy any financial constraints, and ensure data quality. You might even decide to collect water quality data in real time. Data collected can include pH, conductivity, temperature and more. (more)

Example of a modern remote monitoring station.

To read more, Click HERE.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District in Missouri to Pay $4.7 Billion to Cut Sewer Overflows

 

 

The settlement reached between the United States, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment Foundation and MSD, requires MSD to install a variety of pollution controls, including the construction of three large storage tunnels ranging from approximately two miles to nine miles in length, and to expand capacity at two treatment plants. These controls and similar controls that MSD has already implemented will result in the reduction of almost 13 billion gallons per year of overflows into nearby streams and rivers.

MSD will also be required to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to eliminate more than 200 illegal discharge points within its sanitary sewer system. Finally, MSD will engage in comprehensive and proactive cleaning, maintenance and emergency response programs to improve sewer system performance and to eliminate overflows from its sewer systems, including basement backups, releases into buildings and onto property. (more)

To read more, Click HERE.