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James River Basin - Watershed Groups & Projects
Goff Creek (Christian County)
and Dry Crane Creek (Stone County) have active Special Area Land Treatment (SALT) projects.
Agricultural Nonpoint
Source Special Area Land Treatment Projects
Watershed Groups
There are a few watershed groups that monitor water quality, provide educational
programs, and have ongoing private and public projects that focus on improving watershed
health.
Watershed
Committee of the Ozarks
The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks is funded by Springfield City Utilities and
focuses on the watersheds that provide Springfield’s drinking water.
Their mission is “to preserve and improve the
water supplies of Springfield and Greene County through education and effective management
of the region’s watersheds.” This
group educates farmers and residents within area, and conducts ongoing studies of water
quality. They are also involved in monitoring
the groundwater levels in Springfield’s watershed, and are planning a watershed
education project at Springfield’s Valley Water Mill.
See their website for details:
http://www.watershedcommittee.org//
James River Basin Partnership
The James River Basin Partnership is a non-profit water quality group based in
Springfield, Missouri, funded by City Utilities of Springfield, the City of Springfield,
Greene County, the City of Branson, Southwest Missouri State University, Missouri Department of
Natural Resources, and Citizens of the James River Basin. The mission of the JRBP is to protect and improve
water quality throughout the James River Basin. The group does this through a number of water
quality studies, educational activities, and remediation programs. These include the following:
Ecological Health of Bull Creek and Swan Creek:
This project, completed in 2001 and 2002, was embarked upon to collect sound scientific data
leading to public education of the ecological status of these two creeks.
An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) was completed to
assess the health of the fish populations in each creek.
This was completed by collecting fish with a seine while inserting a
shockfishing probe into the water. The
shockfishing device sends a mild pulse of electricity into the stream, which paralyzes the
fish long enough to capture them with then seine. Collected
fish were then identified species, counted, and released back into the stream unharmed.
In addition to fish population data, water
chemistry and physical habitat data were also recorded.
The resulting IBI scores ranged from 82 – 42 in Bull Creek (average
68.4) and from 86 – 46 in Swan Creek (average 73.6).
The interpretation of these scores indicates ecological health in both
locations was below expectations. IBI scores
range from 100 – 0. A score of 100-90 is
excellent, 90-80 is good, 80-70 is fair, and 70 or below is impaired.
For more information, or to request a full report
of this study, see the following link:
http://www.jrbp.smsu.edu/tech.html.
- EPA Poultry Nutrient Management Grant
This project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, was created to promote utilization
of poultry litter as a nutrient source for cropland throughout the James River Basin.
For an overview of the project, visit the following link:
http://www.jrbp.smsu.edu/popup/Overview.html.
- 319 Grant:
The Water Quality Act of 1987 (an amendment of the Clean Water Act) provides states with
federal grant monies for non-point source conservation programs. States, in turn, make
these grants available to local groups to implement conservation practices that address
local water quality resource concerns. These grants are commonly referred to as "319
Grants" because the language is found in section 319 of the legislation. Recently,
the James River Basin Partnership was approved for 319 grant funds for the James River
Watershed. These funds will be used for educational and restoration programs within the
basin with the overall goal of improving water quality by addressing non-point source
pollution.
- Water Quality Summit
The James River Basin Partnership, Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc., the Watershed
Committee of the Ozarks, and the Upper White River Basin Foundation gathered for a Water
Quality Summit March 19-20, 2003. This annual meeting is intended to discuss water
quality issues and projects within the James River Basin. See the following link for a full report:
http://www.jrbp.smsu.edu/pdf/WQSFinalReportv3.pdf
- Educational programs:
- River Rescue – A week-long water quality awareness event emphasizing recreation opportunities and
beauty of the Ozarks, litter pick-up, and river stewardship efforts. This event features
daily float trips on the James River and a final celebration with canoe races, music and food. Opportunities are provided for
the public to learn about a variety of topics related to rivers. See the following link for a review of River Rescue
2003: http://www.jrbp.smsu.edu/programs.html#
- Clean Water Kids
-A program developed for 4th graders, usually held in conjunction with Watershed
Festivals. This program teaches children about watersheds and what a watershed means to
them. See the following link to request more information:
http://www.jrbp.smsu.edu/programs.html
- Lawn Care Field Day
- Each spring the James River Basin Partnership
co-hosts a Lawn Care Field Day focusing on water friendly lawn care. This event features
demonstrations on watering, native plants, composting, soil testing, mowing, lawn
establishment, and tree care.
Web Site -
www.jrbp.smsu.edu
Toll Free Number - 888-924-WATER
The Executive Director of the James River Basin Partnership is Holly Neill:
hdn924t@smsu.edu
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