Projects
March 29, 2008
The Riparian Project
With the help of volunteer organizations and volunteers, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership planted thousands of seedlings along streambanks to create riparian buffers to help preserve and protect water quality. Four streambanks in four Northwest Arkansas cities were the site of this event on March 29th: Fayetteville Hamestring Creek, Springdale Spring Creek, Rogers Blossom Way Creek and Siloam Springs Sager Creek.
The Riparian (rye-pair-E-uhn) Zone is the land next to a stream or lake. The Riparian Buffer is the plant life that grows along that zone.
Riparian buffers trap and filter sediments, nutrients and chemicals from surface runoff and shallow groundwater. Tree roots within riparian buffers help stabilize streambanks, help prevent erosion, slow water velocity and reduce flooding potential.
May 5, 2007
In an effort to make it more convenient for residents of Washington County to recycle household hazardous waste (HHW) and to have soil tested, the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service and the Environmental Affairs Office will conduct "Clean out, Clean up, Green Up!" from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 5. Residents are invited to bring HHW for recycling and soil samples for testing to the county's household hazardous waste collection facility, located at 2615 Brink Drive in Fayetteville.
 In addition to the collection of HHW and soil samples, there will be free food, drawings for prizes such as concert tickets and gift certificates, as well as education booths and activities for children to
teach them about recycling and water quality. Activities will include a bean bag toss, worm composting, water quality jeopardy and fish matching. Organizations providing exhibits and educational activities
include the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, Washington County Environmental Affairs, Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, Audubon Arkansas, Washington County Conservation District, Arkansas Stream Team, Lake Fayetteville Watershed Partnership, Beaver Water District, and Dr. Steven Beaupre, a professor of Biological Sciences at the U of A, and an expert on snakes. He will bring some of his snakes to discuss their ecology as it relates to watershed ecosystems.
The focus of "Clean out, Clean up, Green Up!" is to inform residents about the adverse effects on water quality when hazardous wastes are disposed of improperly or fertilizers are applied to lawns improperly.
Household hazardous waste includes thousands of commonly used products such as paint, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and automotive fluids.
 "The soil sample analyses measure the nutrients in the soil," said Katie Teague, of the University of Arkansas Extension Office in Fayetteville. "The analyses show levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and pH in the soil. Once we get tests done, we provide a recommendation on how to
fertilize the soil or lawn to optimize it for whatever the resident wants. The goal is to teach people the appropriate way to fertilize soil while also protecting the watershed from excess nutrients that can cause problems with the watershed. Too many nutrients usually results in too much phosphorous and that promotes excessive plant and algae growth in lakes and rivers."
To prepare a good soil sample, dig about a dozen 4-inch deep soil samples from various spots in the lawn and mix in a bucket. Then, bring two cups or a pint of soil to the event on May 5 and it will be
collected for testing.
If you haven't been to the county's household hazardous waste collection facility, then these directions should help: From I-540, take exit #61. At the stop light, turn left onto Hwy. 71B. Turn left (west) onto Clydesdale Road and make a sharp right at the end onto Brink and you'll see the building with signage stating Hazardous Waste Collection. For information, directions, or list of items that can be brought to the HHW Collection Facility contact the Washington County Environmental Affair office at 444-1725 or www.co.washington.ar.us/EnvironmentalAffairs.
April 14, 2007 Farmers Market in Fayetteville
Despite the cold, the wind, the rain and the occasional snow flake, the stalwart’s of the IRWP proudly handed out and took soil tests during the second weekend of the Farmers Market on the downtown square in Fayetteville.
“A little chilly” was the comment by one of the IRWP board members, but smiles and hot coffee and chocolate kept our river crew going while people brought soil samples in throughout the morning and early afternoon.
April 14, 2007 Rain Gardens Make A Difference
While the weather on the Fayetteville Square was a little wet on Saturday, April 14, it was the perfect venue for installing one of the first educational rain gardens. Volunteers gathered on the east side of Leverette Elementary School in Fayetteville to install the first-ever demonstration rain garden. A rain garden is a cultivated area created to harvest rain so that it receive runoff from a nearby impervious area such as a rooftop or driveway.
Thanks to a special $12,000 grant from the Arkansas Forestry Commission’s Urban Forestry Program, this is one of four rain gardens that will be installed during the upcoming weeks.
Partners in the project include the IRWP, the City of Fayetteville, the Washington County office of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Beaver Water District, the University of Arkansas Landscape Architecture Program, the Washington County Master Gardeners, the Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education Program, Happy Hollow Elementary School, Leverett Elementary School, and the Urban Forestry Program of the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Two of the rain gardens will be installed in the Illinois River Watershed—Leverett Elementary and Gulley Park.
Rain garden benefits include increased filtration of stormwater, recharge of groundwater, reduction of nonpoint source pollutants, increase wildlife habitat, enhanced aesthetic values, protection from flooding, reduction of peak flows in local streams and reduction of municipal stormwater treatment costs.
Urban Non-Point Source Pollution Outreach Campaign
The IRWP will plan and execute an urban non-point source pollution outreach campaign. The intent of the campaign is to develop stakeholder ownership and incite action among the residents in the watershed to better manage non-point source pollution. The IRWP will partner with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service to develop and distribute educational materials. A partnership will also be developed with the University of Arkansas Survey Research Center to conduct pre and post surveys to measure the impact of the public awareness campaign. The education campaign will be conducted through October 2007 in Arkansas’ portion of the Illinois River Watershed to include residents in 30 cities over 7 counties in Northwest Arkansas. (correct figures coming and deleted info here) Approximately 50% of the Partnership’s time will be allocated to this activity. The campaign will be partially funded by an EPA 319 NPS grant. The match will be provided by sponsorship funds.
Watershed Management Plan
A second activity will be to help develop a comprehensive Watershed management plan in collaboration with Arkansas and Oklahoma agencies, governments, organizations and stakeholders. The Planning and Technical Committees will coordinate their efforts on behalf of the Partnership. The activity began in April 2006 with a goal to complete a working document by September 2007. Implementation of the work plan is an ongoing process. The activity involves stakeholders within and outside the watershed.
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