Arkansas Department of Health Tools for Watershed Protection: Darcia Routh, P.G. (Arkansas Department of Health) Arkansas Water Works and Water Environment Association Presentation

Ms. Darcia Routh, undertook a presentation at the Arkansas Water Works and Water Environment Association titled:

Arkansas Department of Health Tools for Watershed Protection (“Presentation”)

Ms. Routh is a Professional Geologist and Geologist Supervisor addressing Source Water Protection in the Engineering Section of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH).

Ms. Routh’s Presentation addressed:

• What is a watershed?
• How does ADH define them?
• What is watershed planning?
• What are ADH tools to improve your intake’s protection?
• What are your next steps?

The Presentation noted that approximately 62% of Arkansans obtain their drinking water from surface water (i.e., mostly from lakes). Citing 2015 statistics it was also noted that 840,418 Arkansans are served by groundwater.

A watershed was noted to be hydrologically defined –

• Your system’s watershed is all the water and land upslope that drain to your specific public water intake.
• Watersheds are also called drainage basins.
• A watershed is a geographic area near your intake.

The influences on watersheds by human and natural conditions were listed such as:

• Land use
• Population density and distribution
• Climate
• Geology
• Ecology
• Topography

The concept of watershed planning was addressed which included three aspects:

• Define your watershed (it was noted that ADH does this)
• Involve all stakeholders
• Develop a watershed protection plan

The Presentation noted the various tasks such as:

• Introduction to stakeholders (i.e., what you are protecting)

• Role of ADH in terms of mapping

• Inclusion of all stakeholders

• Priority water resource goals

  • Drinking water quality protection or improvement

  • Ecological health/habitat restoration

  • Recreation

  • Multiple designated uses (referencing water supply lake versus United States Corps of Engineers lake)

The Presentation discussed monitoring of raw water quality noting:

• Most monitoring is for finished water

  • Total organic carbon

  • Turbidity

  • Pathogens

The discussion of a strategic watershed protection plan noted that the focus is not to forbid certain activities:

• Identify what activities or conditions pose the highest risks to water quality
• Reduce such risks

A strategic watershed protection plan is stated to:

• Integrate multiple programs

  • Regulatory (point sources)

  • Voluntary (non-point sources)

New ADH GIS staff were noted which include:

• Ben Gilley
• Tyler Couch
• Richard Norwood

Current ADH projects were listed as:

• Drinking Water & Forestry Forum/Collaboration
• HABs workgroup
• ADH technical assistance summer intern
• Baseline sampling N, P & cyanotoxins

Additional resources listed included:

• EPA’s online Watershed Academy
• UAEX Arkansas Watershed Stewards program
• Source Water Collaborative

Upcoming ADH Events were listed as:

• Education and Public Outreach for watershed partnerships
• Forestry and Drinking Water Forums SW/River Valley
• Data updates for the SWAP Model

A copy of the Presentation can be downloaded here.