Beaver Lake

Washington County Conservation District

2898 Point Circle #2

Fayetteville, AR 72704

To contact us:

Phone: (479)442-4160 ext. 3

Fax: (479)444-8726

E-mail: casey.dunigan@ar.nacdnet.net

Introduction

Beaver lake provides drinking water to approximately 250,000 people in Northwest Arkansas and is a valuable resource for recreation and wildlife.

The Beaver Lake Watershed Project was implemented by several conservation districts, agencies, and one city to improve water quality by implementing conservation practices that allow sustained agricultural output within the Beaver Lake, White River Watershed, Arkansas. The goal of this project is to develop a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) for the Beaver Lake watershed.

This project has many components that are combined to form a more comprehensive study.

Project Goals

The Washington County Conservation District Goals are as follows:

- Create 90 Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans within the watershed

- Complete 10,000 feet of streambank stabilization in the first and second order reaches of the West Fork, Middle Fork, and East Fork of the White River Watershed

- Install 10,000 ft of riparian zone buffer strips

- Plan 2,000 acres of Pasture and Hayland Management emphasizing warm season grasses overseeded with winter cover

- Create 100 critical area treatments

The Beaver Lake Watershed project receives funding from the EPA through Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission and lasts through June 2004. All practices were completed and inspected by April 30, 2004, and a final report will be written.

This conservation program shares the cost of Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation with landowners at the rate of 40% of costs with a maximum payment of $7,500.

Management practices may include:

-Heavy Use Protection -Fencing

-Pasture and hayland planting -Ponds

-Waste storage facilities -Watering Facilities

The program also provides 40% of costs for streambank stabilization with a maximum payment of $17,500 to assist landowners in the reduction of soil loss and erosion damage.

Streambank Stabilization Demonstration Project

This demonstration project exists to provide information to the public and agency personnel about conservation practices that improve and conserve water quality and to reduce sediment and erosion.

The sites for the demonstration project were selected due to their actively eroding streambanks. The project is located on Richland Creek, near Goshen, Arkansas. Richland Creek is a third order stream flowing into the White River. Two sites along the creek were chosen for the demonstration project. Each site was actively eroding and contributing a large amount of sediment to Beaver Lake.

Strategies to Improve Water Quality in the Beaver Lake, White River, Arkansas

Are Implemented Through the Beaver Lake Watershed Project

Beaver Lake, White River, Washington County, Arkansas

Streambank Stabilization Demonstration Project – Site B After (Looking North)- Installed weirs and sloped bank with vegetation on Richland Creek.

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMP’s)

The Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District provides CNMP’s to promote water quality improvement by enabling landowners to make informed land management decisions. The CNMP allows landowners to be in compliance with new poultry litter and fertilizer application laws.

The CNMP contains poultry litter and commercial fertilizer application recommendations that are based on the Arkansas Phosphorus Index, aerial maps, buffer maps, soil maps, topographic maps, and other recommendations.

The Arkansas Phosphorus Index is an assessment of the vulnerability of the land to lose phosphorus in rainfall runoff; it accounts for the following factors:

A grazing plan suggests livestock stocking rates and estimates forage production.

A Conservation Plan details practices that the landowner can schedule and implement to improve water quality. Practices that are generally included in the conservation plan are:

Accomplishments to Date

- Completed 157 CNMP’s

- Completed a Streambank Stabilization Demonstration Project that established 1,234

feet of streambank stabilization. Demonstrations of the sites are available to the

public and agency personnel to present other strategies for landowners to utilize.

- Completed 243.8 acres of Pasture and Hayland Planting.