2015 2015 Status of the Watershed the UPPER WHITE RIVER in ARKANSAS and MISSOURI INTRODUCTION 2 HOW’S the WATER? 3

Summarizing 2014 water quality in the Upper White River Basin using data compiled from volunteer groups and municipal, state and federal agencies. Compiled March 2015 2015 Status of the Watershed THE UPPER WHITE RIVER IN ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI INTRODUCTION 2 HOW’S THE WATER? 3

Cover photos, clockwise from top: A volunteer conducts a Overall, water quality in the region is very Invertebrates - Biological indicators of stream This is the 7th annual Ozarks Water Watch report dissolved oxygen test at Swan Creek. Lynn Lancaster and good. However, some areas need a little help. health. aimed at answering the question, “How’s the water?” Don Wilson collect invertebrates in Turkey Creek, Ronna Some stream invertebrates are very sensitive to pollu- Haxby photo. A Huntsville High School student collects a What was measured and what it means: tion, while others are very tolerant of pollution. The Pristine streams, meandering rivers and blue lakes sample on Holman Creek, Angela Danovi photo. are the region’s most important resources, Dissolved Oxygen - Important for aquatic life. presence of certain invertebrates in the stream provide providing drinking water, endless recreation for local insight to a stream’s health, both short and long-term. that are monitoring our waters, highlight other activi- Certain pollutants can reduce Dissolved Oxygen citizens and driving the economy through tourism. It ties in the basin that reduce pollution, and educate the (DO), making water unsuitable for aquatic life. Some- Most of the 36 invertebrate collection sites were in is not a stretch to say that the health of our region is a reader about some of the threats to water quality. times, due to excessive algae growth, DO levels are the James River region. The sites with the direct reflection of the health of our waters. too high. This is also bad for aquatic life. lowest scores were within the city of Springfield. The main goal of this report is to provide the reader Urban runoff will usually have a negative effect are motivated to do your part in protecting the region’s The DO levels were a concern in about a quarter of with a glimpse of how water quality varies across the on invertebrate communities. most important resources, our streams, rivers and lakes. the 79 sites where measured. In most cases where Upper White River Basin. To do this, we have gathered Whether you choose to become a volunteer water qual- DO concentrations are a concern, the actual values Secchi Transparency - Water clarity measure- data from as many sources as possible to try and pro- ity monitor, help out restoring a stream bank or become were higher than desired, suggesting excess algae ment. vide an answer to the question, “How’s the water?” more aware of how you as a citizen living in the are producing the oxygen via photosynthesis. The Secchi disk is a small plate-like device that is Because the data come from so many sources, there is watershed affect water quality, you can make a lowered into lakes to determine water clarity. Poor a challenge in making all that information both compa- Phosphorus and Nitrogen - Drive algae growth. difference. It is in everyone’s best interest to restore water clarity is usually caused by algae or sediment rable and understandable. We have chosen not to de- High nutrient levels lead to higher than normal algae and protect the region’s waters. With everyone’s help, in the water. scribe water quality at individual sites as being “Good” growth. Changes in algae growth can alter the natural whenever someone asks, “How’s the water?” we or “Bad”, but instead we compared the sites and aquatic communities in our lakes and streams. Secchi was measured at 70 sites in the watershed. can forever answer, “Fine, come on in.” identified water quality as being High or Low, Among the 108 sites monitored for Nitrogen, the The sites with the least clarity tended to be near relative to all the data. In other words, sites rated as highest levels were primarily located around the ur- the inflowing streams. Because of their proximity Low are not necessarily bad, they just have lower ban areas of the Beaver and James River regions. to sediment and nutrient sources, it is expected that water quality than other sites in the region. these sites would have lower water clarity than sites President/Executive Director Total Phosphorus concentrations at 65 sites in the Other goals of the report are to: acknowledge the groups in the main lake channels. Ozarks Water Watch Foundation watershed were generally low. The sites with the highest phosphorus concentrations were typically Below: Janis Walters, StreamSmart volunteer on the stream and river sites located near West Fork at Brentwood Park. Angela Danovi photo. urban areas and lake sites located in the upper portion of tributary arms. E. coli - Bacteria associated with fecal matter. While some strains of E. coli can be harmful to humans, these bacteria are used as an indicator of other harmful organisms associated with human fecal contamination. Low background levels are common, due to the presence of natural wildlife in the watershed. Levels of E. coli in the basin’s waterways were low in 2014. Above: David Casaletto at Secchi Day on Beaver Lake. Only three sites had E. coli counts Angela Danovi photo of concern. Right: Bob Matlock, volunteer with the Beaver Lake Volunteer Program. Angela Danovi photo INTRODUCTION 2 HOW’S THE WATER? 3

How We Assessed Water Quality Parameter Evaluation Method Water Quality Assessment HIGH MID LOW SPRINGFIELD % of samples with >5 Dissolved Oxygen mg/L but less than >75 50 - 74 <50 110% saturation Geometric mean of all Total Nitrogen <0.500 0.501 – 0.900 >0.900 values in mg/L Geometric mean of all Total Phosphorus <0.020 0.021 – 0.035 >0.035 values in mg/L Geometric mean of E. coli colony forming units <70 71 - 126 >126 per 100mL Missouri Stream Team Invertebrates >23 18 - 23 <18 Score Geometric mean of all Lake Water Clarity >10 5 – 10 <5 values in feet of clarity MISSOURI What Was Measured In 2014? ROGERS ARKANSAS • 700 Dissolved Oxygen values The scores in this report show how the numer- • 1,145 Total Nitrogen values ous monitoring sites in the region compare to one BULL • 1,477 Total Phosphorus values another and are not intended to define “good” or SHOALS • 265 E. coli values “bad” water quality. What this report attempts to do • 180 Invertebrate scores is show where the highest and lowest relative wa- • 305 Water Clarity readings ter quality is. Identifying these sites will help us to FAYETTEVILLE focus our efforts where they are needed and let us allocate our limited resources accordingly.

Right: Students fromStudents Huntsvillefrom Huntsville High EAST High ProgramEAST Pro-gram monitor watermonitor qualitywater qualityon Holman on HolmanCreek, ARCreek, with StreamSmart.Arkansas with AngelaStreamSmart. Danovi photo. Angela Danovi photo.

All Site Scores (Stream and Lake) Combined UPPER WHITE RIVER BASIN WATER QUALITY 4 ONLINE INTERACTIVE MAP AT OZARKSWATERWATCH.ORG 5

Right: Students from Huntsville High EAST Pro-gram monitor water quality on Holman Creek, Arkansas with StreamSmart. Angela Danovi photo.

All Site Scores (Stream and Lake) Combined MANAGING RUNOFF AND EROSION 6 7

Rain washes loose sediment and pollutants Phosphorus encourages excessive algae Water quality conditions in streams and rivers can stream are a result of changing flow. During storms, into streams and lakes. Sediment can choke growth that covers rocks in streams and makes vary dramatically. At any site, the maximum levels rainfall in the watershed picks up nutrients, sedi- out streambeds, eliminating habitat for insects. lake water green. Though algae is important as of nutrients or E. coli may be 10 times (or more) ment and other pollutants, transporting them to the Fish communities suffer without this important a food source for the smaller creatures near the higher than the minimum values during the course stream. food source. Because phosphorus binds par- bottom of the food chain, too much algae will of a year. Fluctuations in water quality within a The volume of water moving through a stream ticularly well to sediment particles, excess sedi- ultimately hurt the aquatic community. or river during a specific time period is ment in our waterways usually means excess called discharge and is typically mea- phosphorus is present, too. sured as cubic feet per second (cfs). The relation between discharge and total phosphorus can be seen in the following Man-made lakes can benefit by having another graphic showing data from USGS on War lake upstream to catch some of the sediment, nu- Eagle Creek. When discharge is less than trients and other pollutants. Water quality will dif- 600 cfs the phosphorus concentrations fer among lakes in a series, with the downstream are quite stable at around 0.04 mg/L. As lake usually having better water quality. discharge rises above 600 cfs the phosphorus levels increase dramatically.

Managing water quality often means managing runoff. Home owners can install rain barrels and rain gardens to slow the rate at which Pollutants accumulated on the ground are washed into lakes and water is delivered to streams. This re- streams when it rains. The “first flush” at the beginning of a rain storm duces erosion and stormwater run off. has the most pollutants. If we can keep pollution off the ground and slow down the runoff we can do a lot to improve water quality.

New, permeable pavement allows Permeable surfaces, like this water to soak into the ground, re- parking lot in Kimberling moving pollutants and reducing City, MO allow water to erosion downstream. penetrate and soak into the ground. More water soaking into the ground means less water and pollutants entering The roots of trees and other our streams after a rain event. Aquatic plants keep sediment plants keep sediment on the Structures such as these reduce on the bottom of the lake and ground and out of the water. the amount of nutrients, metals reduce the erosive power of and sediment in runoff and re- wave action. duce erosion in the watershed. It is estimated that each year this parking lot will retain enough Sediment will eventually fill in our man- phosphorus to grow over made lakes. By controlling the rate at 1,000 pounds of algae! which the sediment enters the water, we can prolong the life of our lakes. MANAGING RUNOFF AND EROSION 6 7

The Upper White River Basin can TABLE ROCK be divided into 5 regions or sub-basins. Water quality differs in each 32 Sites Total of the sub-basins. The following • 47% HIGH pages summarize water quality in • 41% MID each region. • 12% LOW

• Beaver Lake Region - 75 Sites • Table Rock Region - 32 Sites • Bull Shoals Region - 23 Sites • Taneycomo Region - 21 Sites STREAMS Stream conditions in the Table Rock region • James River Region - 38 Sites 14 Stream Sites were average for the Upper White River basin. • 21% HIGH • 50% MID Lake sites were above average, with no sites For specific information by site, • 29% LOW in the LOW category. visit the interactive map at: www. ozarkswaterwatch.org LAKES Above: Ken Leonard and Angela Danovi monitor water quality with StreamSmart on War Eagle Creek, Arkansas. Sabrina Bowman photo. 18 Lake Sites • 67% HIGH • 33% MID BEAVER LAKE • 0% LOW Chart Title

75 Sites Total BULL SHOALS • 53% HIGH • 40% MID 23 Sites Total • 7% LOW • 74% HIGH • 26% MID • 0% LOW

STREAMS Nutrients led to the most LOW scores in the Chart Title 40 Stream Sites stream sites of the Beaver Lake region. Most of the monitoring in this region occurred • 48% HIGH STREAMS • 45% MID Lake sites nearer the inflowing streams had 18 Stream Sites on streams. No sites, stream or lake, scored • 8% LOW more nutrients and less water clarity than down- • 67% HIGH LOW overall. lake sites. • 33% MID Very few E. coli bacteria were found in the 12 • 0% LOW stream sites where it was measured. LAKES Chart Title 35 Lake Sites LAKES All five lake sites scored in the HIGH category. • 60% HIGH • 34% MID 5 Lake Sites • 6% LOW • 100% HIGH • 0% MID • 0% LOW REGIONAL WATER QUALITY 8 9

75 Sites Total BULL SHOALS • 53% HIGH • 40% MID 23 Sites Total • 7% LOW • 74% HIGH • 26% MID • 0% LOW

JAMES RIVER Association for Beaver Lake Environment (ABLE) Beyond monitoring water quality Beaver Water District 38 Sites Total Beaver Watershed Alliance Groups in the White River Basin are doing a lot • 24% HIGH to clean up our waterways, prevent pollution, re- The City of Branson • 53% MID store stream banks and educate people about wa- Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers • 24% LOW ter quality issues. When you add up the efforts James River Basin Partnership made by the groups listed on the right, you find Kings River Watershed Partnership an amazing amount of time and energy has been Missouri Stream Team Program This received the lowest scores of all regions in put forth to protect the region’s most valuable re- Ozarks Water Watch STREAMS the Upper White River Basin. sources…its streams and lakes. Table Rock Lake Water Quality 31 Stream Sites Nutrients, particularly nitrogen, led to the most University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service • 26% HIGH Watershed Committee of the Ozarks LOW scores for streams in this region. Right: Angela Danovi • 55% MID sorts trash collect- • 19% LOW Lake sites in the James River region typically ed during the 2014 had lower water clarity than other lake sites in West Fork Watershed the Upper White River watershed. Cleanup. Photo by LAKES Amy Wilson of Beaver 7 Lake Sites Water District. • 14% HIGH Far right: Watershed • 43% MID professionals and vol- • 43% LOW unteers create water management plans during the 2014 Blue Pathways workshop. LAKE TANEYCOMO Clean-Up Restoration Education In 2014, groups in the basin con- Dozens of miles of stream banks Over 200 educational programs 21 Sites Total ducted more than a dozen events to were stabilized in 2014, helping were held within the basin during • 76% HIGH clean up local water bodies. Dur- protect our streams. These efforts 2014. Events ranged from small • 24% MID ing these clean-ups around 30 tons included the planting of 800 trees presentations for local groups to • 0% LOW of trash (including 400 tires) which stabilize soil. large scale events, such as were removed from our streams, Secchi Day on Beaver Lake. rivers and lakes; leaving them Runoff Reduction There were even musical events looking much more pristine. Many efforts focused on reducing focused on water quality. runoff that delivers pollutants to local Perhaps the most impressive This region had the fewest monitoring sites in the STREAMS Pollution Reduction streams. These included installation and beneficial out-reach was the 14 Stream Sites Upper White River Basin. There was a lot of work done in the of 200,000 square feet of permeable education of close to 13,000 • 79% HIGH No site received a LOW overall score, though basin to protect the region’s waters pavement and the collection of students throughout the basin • 21% MID some sites had a single parameter with a LOW from being polluted in 2014. 25,000 gallons of rainwater in rain concerning water quality. • 0% LOW score. Site scores are derived by averaging scores These efforts included: replacing gardens, rain barrels, and detention structures. There were also 19 LAKES for all parameters. over 40 failing septic systems, pumping out over 570 septic Nutrient Management Plans systems to help keep them developed to help homeowners On behalf of everyone, we say reduce nutrient pollution, a 7 Lake Sites functioning properly, and the stormwater plan developed for the • 71% HIGH collection of 2,000 pounds of THANK YOU City of Springfield, and a • 29% MID for helping protect our water. unwanted prescription drugs comprehensive plan to manage • 0% LOW that could have eventually polluted stormwater developed for North- local waters if disposed of improp- west Arkansas. erly. REGIONAL WATER QUALITY 10 THE BIG PICTURE 11

Ozarks Water Watch volunteers collected total nitrogen Stream Smart volunteers monitored 24 stream sites in and total phosphorus samples at 20 Missouri stream sites. the UWRB. Included in this report are their total nitrogen and total phosphorus data. Missouri Stream Team volunteers monitored 36 sites in the Upper White River Basin (UWRB). This report fea- Secchi Day on Beaver Lake volunteers sampled at 35 tures their dissolved oxygen and invertebrate data. Beaver Lake sites. This report features their total phosphorus and water clarity data. The Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program volunteers monitored 31 lake and 2 stream sites in the UWRB. Their Beaver LakeSmart volunteers sampled at 5 sites on total nitrogen, total phosphorus and water clarity data are Beaver Lake. This report features their Secchi, total featured in this report. phosphorus and total nitrogen data. United States Geologic Survey (USGS) monitored 11 sites for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen and E. coli bacteria. Watershed Committee of the Ozarks’ Adopt a Spring measured E. coli at 5 spring sites. Arkansas Water Resources Center measured total nitrogen and total phosphorus at 8 sites. Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) measured total nitrogen, total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen at 25 sites. Taney County monitored 24 sites for concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen.

Beaver Water District measured total nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen and E. coli bacteria at 7 locations.