Much of the water quality in the 10,298 square mile Grand Lake watershed is at risk from elevated levels of nutrients/phosphorous (Watershed Map). We believe water quality will continue to decline during the next 10 years unless drastic action is taken and improvement projects are completed.

The Grand Lake watershed is a large complex watershed located in parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Our watershed has regional and national economic importance. (Do You Know?) Yet it presently lacks the commensurate priority and financial commitment necessary to prevent further degrading of water quality.

This Foundation is dedicated to restoring good water quality and preventing further impairment of our watershed lakes, streams and rivers. Having good water quality is essential to protect our water supplies, to enjoy recreational boating, fishing, and swimming as well as protecting the water related environs.

The Nutrient/Phosphorous Pollution Risk
What is the pollution risk caused by elevated levels of nutrients/phosphorous?

Elevated phosphorus/nutrient levels cause algae blooms that can prevent sunlight from reaching underwater plant life which adversely affects other organisms. When the blooms decompose, they consume oxygen and create areas where dissolved oxygen levels are too low to sustain fish and marine life. Potentially, the water becomes unlivable for other organisms. Also algae blooms can create an unpleasant water taste that is a costly process to reduce in water treatment plants.

In some instances algae blooms can become harmful. About a dozen or so species can create toxins thereby causing health issues that impair recreational uses and impair water supplies. This is exactly what happened in 2005 in the Marion Reservoir (Map) which is located in Kansas within the Grand Lake watershed. Communities had to transport in potable water and Marion’s beaches had to be closed. Also algae blooms can create an unpleasant water taste that is a costly process to reduce in water treatment plants.

Foundation Focus
Our Foundation focus is to reduce this risk from elevated phosphorous/nutrient levels which fuel algae growth and rapid reproduction. In November 2007, the Foundation prepared an assessment of the watershed and published a Grand Lake Watershed Plan. (Grand Lake Watershed Plan). This documents the elevated levels of nutrients/phosphorus. Not only are our rivers and streams at risk but the four major watershed reservoirs Marion, Council Grove, John Redmond, and Grand Lake (Map) are at risk. Clearly, only a cooperative and collective effort between government, watershed stakeholders, and citizens within the watershed can reduce phosphorous/nutrient loads.

Sediment movement within the watershed only increases pollution risks because the sediment transports nutrients/phosphorus and bacteria. River and stream banks are prone to stream bank erosion which fosters sediment movement. Sediment also fills streams and reservoirs reducing their capacity.

Citizens Must Become Involved
Citizens and stakeholders must take an active role in shaping the future of their watershed. They must become energized, educated and involved.

Watersheds that have active citizens cause improvements to be made in their water quality. Citizens must insure their community leaders; local, state, and federal government leaders; and stakeholders are taking the actions necessary to protect water quality. This Foundation can help citizens become actively involved. There is a simple but direct question that must be asked of every state legislator, every community leader, every U. S. congressman, and every city and county government leader. “What are you doing to help restore and protect our water quality?”

Foundation Strategic Plan
In October 2009, the Foundation issued a Strategic Plan that serves as a water quality improvement roadmap. It presents necessary actions that must occur to better protect and improve our rivers, streams, and lakes. Foundation Strategic Plan There presently are many barriers preventing or hindering water quality improvements. This Strategic Plan presents solutions and courses of action that will result in improved water quality. Sadly, many citizens do no know about the pollution risks to their rivers, steams and lakes. Consequently, we believe public education is important to achieving improved water quality.

Improved Interstate Cooperation Is Necessary
There must be improved interstate communication and cooperation between our four watershed state governments of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. This is essential because there is no single governmental entity in charge of achieving water quality improvement in the total watershed. Each state often has different priorities, objectives and financial committment. Reducing pollution risks from elevated nutrient/phosphorus levels certainly will require a more coordinated state/federal effort. The Foundation is committed to help achieve interstate cooperation and coordination.

Presently, each of the four states makes their own independent decision about what, if anything, is done to improve water quality. Each state does not agree about the amount, if any, funds will be invested in their respective portion of the watershed. Consequently, there presently is not a unified, coordinated, and collective effort necessary reduce the pollution risks from nutrients/phosphorous. In the meantime, pollution risks are mounting.

The Problem of Fragmented Piecemeal Watershed Management
The watershed is indeed a complex watershed because of many different governmental boundaries and entities. Add to that mix the fact our watershed is located within two separate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regions with each Regional office responsible for their separate sections of our watershed. This Foundation believes the EPA must manage our large watershed through the use of a single unified and coordinated watershed improvement plan that will address the nutrient/phosphorous risk. This will achieve a unity of effort, priority and increase the financial investment made by state and federal government. The Foundation believes divided and uncoordinated watershed management responsibility is not conducive to achieving water quality improvement. In fact, it is an impairment.

Agriculture Plays An Important Role
Our watershed is largely agricultural having a population of about 500,000. One key element in achieving water quality improvement is for agriculture stakeholders, including the poultry industry, to adopt best land management practices. This will reduce pollution from nutrients/phosphorous and sediment movement.

It is recognized that agriculture interests historically want to be good stewards of the land. However, implementing voluntary water quality improvement projects necessary to reduce risks from nutrients and reduce stream bank erosion are often costly. Therefore, the Foundation believes that financial incentives must be offered to agriculture landowners to achieve their voluntary support to institute measures that will result in improving our water quality.

Waste Water Treatment Plants
Historically, discharge of nutrients/phosphorus from community wastewater treatment plants into the watershed is a source of pollution. While these plants are normally regulated by state permits and state laws/regulations, their total impact on water quality in this watershed remains unknown. Further impact study and analysis is required in our watershed.

Local Citizen-Based Organizations Are Necessary
Both the U. S. Environment Protection Agency and state governments encourage the participation of citizens in the management of their watershed. While some citizen-based organizations have been formed in the Grand Lake watershed, much of the watershed lacks local citizen-based organizations. This Foundation has pledged its support to local citizen-based organizations. It encourages citizens to join and support their local watershed organizations and become involved.

Private Funding
The Foundation believes private funding must supplement and support the water quality improvement efforts. This is especially important for funding educational efforts throughout the watershed. That is one reason this Foundation was created to provide stakeholders, business interests, and individuals an opportunity to financially assist improving water quality.

Individual SubWatershed Plans Are Required
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires separate, individually tailored subwatershed plans be prepared and accepted by the EPA for rivers, streams, and lakes within our large Grand Lake watershed. This is a necessary step before federally funded projects to improve water quality can be funded and started. Citizen-based groups are required to be involved in the preparation of these individual subwatershed plans. This is a very lengthy and cumbersome process that often takes 7 to 10 years from the time citizen-based groups are formed to the time watershed plans are accepted and federally funded by the EPA. The Foundation believes this process takes too long and most importantly will not result in the collective and cooperative effort necessary to reduce nutrient/phosphorus. Another more effective approach must be taken to combat the risks associated from elevated nutrient/phosphorous. The Foundation believes the EPA must adopt a more expedited, focused, and simplified approach to reducing the pollution risks caused by elevated levels of nutrients/phosphorous within a watershed of this size and economic importance. This Foundation believes any delay and failure to adopt a unified and collective watershed wide solution that will result in reducing the nutrient/phosphorous risk in our watershed only adds to mounting pollution pressures facing the Grand Lake watershed.