Woody Bassett: Protecting the source

Groups partner to advance lake’s water quality

We drink it. We bathe and shower in it. We use it to wash our hands and brush our teeth. We use it to cook and clean. We use it to flush. It makes our lawns and gardens flourish. We fish and swim in it, and we boat and ski on it. It fuels our industries and businesses.

Water is precious, sustaining us in every way imaginable. It's vital for a region's growth and prosperity, a key component to a high standard of living and good quality of life. This is particularly true for an area like Northwest Arkansas, which is exploding with growth and a place where we endeavor to punch way above our weight class. Yet, we often take water for granted, especially a supply of it that's plentiful, safe and economically-priced.

Beaver Lake is the only source of potable water for Northwest Arkansas. The lake, which provides drinking water to one in seven Arkansans, is this region's lifeblood. Clean drinking water ensures the health of people who live here and abundant, accessible and affordable water is essential to the economic vitality of Northwest Arkansas. An aesthetically pleasing recreational lake is also a major factor in the area's tourism industry.

Beaver Water District, where I currently serve on the board, is the largest of four water districts that draw raw water from Beaver Lake. The district sells treated, potable water wholesale to Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville and then those four cities utilize their own distribution systems to re-sell and deliver the water to their own residential/commercial customers and to smaller nearby communities. Providing high-quality drinking water at the lowest cost possible starts with protecting the source of that water.

While water quality in Beaver Lake is still good, it's of paramount importance that we safeguard the lake from any potential degradation in the years ahead. Accordingly, Beaver Water District has assumed a leadership position by engaging in diligent efforts to raise the public awareness of the fundamental need to preserve the reservoir's water quality for future generations and by developing and adopting a Source Water Protection Plan. Protecting source water from contamination can reduce treatment costs and reduce risks to public health.

In April 2016, the district board took action to dedicate 4 cents per 1,000 gallons of water sold to fund source water protection initiatives. Part of that money provides annual support to the Beaver Watershed Alliance based on a plan of work set forth in a memorandum of agreement. The alliance represents a diverse stakeholder group from conservation, education, water utilities, technical and science, business, agriculture, recreation and local government working together for the cause of clean water. The mission is to improve water quality throughout the Beaver Lake watershed, mostly by focusing on the small tributaries, creeks, major streams and the three forks of the White River, each of which contributes water into the reservoir. Beaver Lake water quality is largely determined by the quality of water in the tributaries.

Beaver Watershed Alliance identifies the following priority issues to be addressed: streambank erosion and loss of riparian area, hydrologic modification resulting from land-use change due to rapid urbanization, and nutrient and sediment pollution from pasture land, urban landscapes and construction sites. This organization is working proactively to sustain the high water quality of Beaver Lake and its tributaries through voluntary best management practices, outreach and education, and scientific evaluation.

Beaver Water District also partners with Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, an organization dedicated to conserving and protecting land and water. Providing voluntary and permanent land protection services to landowners and municipalities, this organization's work helps protect the water quality of Beaver Lake by preserving stretches of land through land donations and conservation easements. Another partner of the district is Ozarks Water Watch at Beaver Lake, which monitors water quality in the lake and its watershed and provides watershed education to those who live, work or play on the lake or in the watershed.

Protecting Beaver Lake from environmental harm and preserving its water quality should be a top priority for those who reside and work in Northwest Arkansas. The lake has been instrumental to the growth of this area and crucial to our collective future. As population continues to grow, it's critical for all of us to nourish this precious asset if we want this region to become all it can be. Residents of Northwest Arkansas have a vested interest in Beaver Lake, plus a civic duty to take all reasonable and necessary measures to protect it from contamination. It's everyone's job to do their part because each of us can make a difference in some way.

Commentary on 06/21/2018

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