GENERAL
The Grand Lake Watershed is large covering about 10,298 square miles in parts of the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. This complex watershed has a major economic impact to the four-state region and is nationally significant. The Neosho River Watershed is the major surface water supply to Kansas. The Elk River Watershed is not only a important beause of its canoeing and fishing interest, but it is deserving of restoration to the fullest in its beautiful landscape. The Grand Lake watershed is a surface water supply source to many communities. The Grand Lake Watershed reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and steams offer recreational activities to thousands who enjoy boating, fishing, swimming, camping, and other outdoor activities.

These are the four major subwatersheds:

1. The Neosho River Watershed drains from Kansas into Oklahoma and comprises about 5,830 square miles or about 57% in the Kansas portion of the watershed
2. The Spring River Watershed is located in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. About 2,577 square miles of the total Spring River watershed or about 25% is located in southwest Missouri, and southeast Kansas. There are no reservoirs on the Spring River.
3. The Elk River Watershed is located in parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and includes about 1,037 square miles, or about 10% of the watershed.
4. The Lake O’ the Cherokees Subwatershed includes the land draining into the Neosho River from about the Kansas border to its convergence with the Spring River in northeast Oklahoma into the Grand River. This subwatershed also includes the land areas around other minor streams draining into the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokee reservoir. This subwatershed is about 888 square miles or 8% of the total Grand Lake watershed.

RIVERS
The Grand Lake Watershed has three major rivers that flow into Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees located in northeast Oklahoma.

• Neosho River that begins in central Kansas
• Spring River that begins in southwest Missouri and flows north of Joplin/Webb City Missouri
• Elk River that is formed in southwest Missouri where Little Sugar Creek and Big Sugar Creek join near Pineville, Missouri.

RESERVOIRS AND LAKES
The watershed has these four major reservoirs and lakes:

• Marion Reservoir (Kansas)
• Council Grove Reservoir (Kansas)
• John Redmond Reservoir (Kansas)
• Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees (Oklahoma)

(Marion, Council Grove and John Redmond are United States Army Corps of Engineers Reservoirs. Grand Lake is a Grand River Dam Authority lake)
Each of these lakes are important boating, swimming, camping, fishing and recreational venues.

POPULATION

The Grand Lake watershed has a little more than 500,000 population. The population in the Neosho River Subwatershed has remained rather stable, but the population in northeast Oklahoma, southwest Missouri, and northwest Arkansas has increased.

CITIES
Selected cities in the Grand Lake watershed include:

ARKANSAS:Bentonville, Bella Vista, Gravette, Pea Ridge, Sulphur Springs.
KANSAS:Baxter Springs, Burlington, Chanute, Columbus, Council Grove, Emporia, Erie, Galena, Oswego, Hartford, Hillsboro, Humbolt, Inola, Marion, Parkerville, Parsons, Pittsburg
MISSOURI: Aurora, Anderson, Carthage, Goodman, Golden City, Joplin, Lamar, Noel, Neosho, Pineville, Rocky Comfort, Stella, Stotts, Washburn, Webb City, Wheaton, Seneca
OKLAHOMA
Grove, Miami, Wyandotte, Afton, Fairland

LAND USE:
Overall land use in the watershed is 36% planted pasture, 21% natural grassland (which may be grazed), 20% cropland, 14% forest, 6% developed/urban (mostly low intensity or open space such as residential lawns, parks, and golf courses), with the remaining 3% mostly divided between open water and wetlands.

WATER QUALITY
Much of the Grand Lake Watershed has elevated levels of nutrients which are polluting streams, rivers, reservoirs and lakes. This is placing the watershed at risk to algae blooms that can have numerous adverse consequences. It creates low levels of dissolved oxygen in the waters that negatively impacts aquatic life and water environs. However, a few strains of algae have the capability of causing health issues.

NEOSHO RIVER WATERSHED: The highest priority impairments for the Neosho River Watershed are (1) nutrients-primarily phosphorous (2) sediment and (3) bacteria. The Marion, Council Grove, and John Redmond reservoirs are impaired from nutrients and sediment. The sources of impairment agricultural fields, stream banks, pastures, permitted sites, and septic systems. The causes of the impairments are erosion (soil from cropland, pastures, and stream banks), lack of riparian buffers on cropland and pastures, exposed soil on cropland and pastures, animal stream access, overgrazing, and septic systems.

SPRING RIVER WATERSHED: The highest priority impairments for the Spring River Watershed are (1) heavy metals, (2) nutrients, and (3) bacteria. Lamar Lake is impaired from elevated levels of phosphorus. Sources for the highest priority impairments are mining tailings, agriculture fields, stream banks, pastures, permitted sites, and septic systems. Causes of impairments are erosion (soil, animal waste, and stream banks) acid mine seepage, animal stream access, and failing septic systems. Shoal Creek, which flows into the Spring River, is impaired from elevated levels of phosphorus.

ELK RIVER WATERSHED: The highest priority impairments for the Elk River Watershed are (1) nutrients, bacteria, and (3) sediment. Sources for the high priority impairments are permitted sites, grazing animals, fertilizer and litter application, and septic systems. Causes of the impairments are a lack of nutrient limits on permitted sites, animal stream access; pasture erosion, over-application of fertilizer/litter and failing septic systems.

LAKE O’ THE CHEROKEES WATERSHED: Grand Lake is the terminal water body for the total 10,298 square mile watershed. Grand Lake is impaired because of low dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Experts believe the low dissolved oxygen is being caused by elevated nutrients flowing in to the lake. Turbidity, in part, is caused by elevated levels of sediment flowing into the lake. Sediment flow provides the mobility for nutrients to move down stream- especially nitrogen and phosphorous.

Reports from the Oklahoma Secretary of Environment (2004,2005) document Grand Lake is becoming increasingly threatened by nutrient enrichment and documents nutrients as being the greatest threat to Grand Lake Water quality. The strategic 2008 Grand Lake Watershed assessment and Watershed Plan issued by this Foundation documents elevated levels of nutrients in the total watershed. To a great extent, the future of water quality in Grand Lake depends upon reducing nitrogen and phosphorus in the Neosho, Spring and Elk Rivers that flow into Grand Lake.

WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS

Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) are a source of pollution in the Grand Lake Watershed. The Grand Lake Watershed has 67 Municipal Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP). These range in size from smaller plants to major discharge plants. The larger discharge plants include Bentonville, Arkansas, Joplin Missouri, and Pittsburg Kansas. Missouri has about 38 Municipal WWTP’s.

Discharges from Waste Water Treatment Plants into surface water include the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous. State agencies in each of the four watershed states determine the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that can be discharged. The amount of discharge from each plant is determined by the state and each WWTP is issued a state permit.

WATER QUALITY RISKS FROM MINING

In parts of the watershed surface water, as well as subsurface aquifers, are being polluted from water discharges from mines. The primary mining area is known as the Tri-State Mining District that includes about a 2,500 square mile area in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma A large portion of this Mining District is located in the Spring River Watershed (click here to view map). Many stream segments throughout the Spring River Watershed are impaired due to heavy metals.

The Tar Creek Superfund Site, about a 40-square mile area in northeastern Oklahoma, is part of the Tri-State Mining District. This Tar Creek Superfund site, part of the Grand Lake Watershed, was placed on the EPA National Priorities List in 1983. One area of interest and concern is surface and ground water contamination from the mining sites.