MISSOURI: SPRINGFIELD Growth Concerns Spur Watershed Management Background Springfield is a city of about 150,000 residents located in southwestern Missouri, among rolling hills on the southwestern edge of the Ozark uplift. Greene County, which contains Springfield and several smaller cities, has a total population of about 210,000. The region is currently experiencing a growth boom due to a diversified economy, modest cost of living and abundant recreational opportunities. Around the city, and extending north and eastward into the municipal drinking watersheds, is a rapidly urbanizing fringe area. Outside the city, most of the land is used for agriculture, primarily beef and dairy cattle production. The Springfield region exhibits complex geology, which has important implications for protection of its drinking water. Much of Springfield's bedrock is limestone and dolomite, and karst features are very pronounced. There are numerous losing streams, springs and large concentrations of sinkholes in the area. The city's drinking water is provided by City Utilities of Springfield, a municipally-owned utility. The water source located closest to Springfield is Fulbright Spring, with a recharge area of 29 square miles, just north of the city. The city first began using this spring in 1883, and today it provides about 12-17% of the city's water supply on an annual basis. In 1915, the city began utilizing a large well near Fulbright Spring, which currently produces about 3 million gallons a day (MGD). Springfield's first reservoir was constructed in 1929 on the Little Sac River north of the city, and today holds about one billion gallons. In 1955, another reservoir, capable of holding 11 billion gallons, was added upstream. The combined watershed of these two reservoirs consists of an area of about 39 square miles. Together, the reservoirs provide 40-60% of the city's drinking water on an annual basis. In 1980, the James River, southeast of the city, was brought on line. It has a 238 square mile watershed above the intake and is tapped to provide 20-30% of the city's water supply annually. Finally, in 1996, a 32-mile pipeline was built to Stockton Lake, an established Corps of Engineers reservoir northwest of the city. With Springfield's current daily water usage at approximately 30 MGD, it is projected that Stockton Lake will help satisfy the water demands of the city through about 2050. The City Utilities of Springfield has two lime/softening water treatment plants that utilize activated carbon for taste and odor control and mixed-media filtration followed by chlorination. Priority Contamination Threats The three primary threats to Springfield's water quality are: • urbanization in the watershed, accompanied by the potential for spills and contaminated runoff; • wastewater treatment in suburban areas, which consists primarily of septic systems on karst terrain (many of which are suspected of failing); and Office of Water (4606M) 816F100022 January 2010 ------- • agriculture, especially animal waste from concentrated beef and dairy cattle operations. Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan In the early 1980s, as a result of episodes of taste and odor problems in the drinking water, there were numerous public concerns regarding proposed development in the watershed. At the mayor's encouragement, the Utility created a task force to investigate these issues and recommend possible management solutions. The task force conducted multiple stakeholder meetings to provide local developers, farmers, engineers and concerned citizens with a forum to exchange information and voice their opinions. One of the task force's recommendations to the mayor was that a permanent, citizen-based Watershed Management Coordinating Committee be established to guide and oversee water protection efforts. This group was initially comprised of representatives of the city, county, and the water utility, along with some citizen "at-large" members. In 1989, this group incorporated as a non-profit organization and renamed itself the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. Today, the annual operating budget of the Committee is approximately $190,000 per year, and funding is provided by three entities: Greene County (in which much of the watershed areas lie) provides 20 % of the group's annual operating budget, the city of Springfield (containing the bulk of the water "users") provides 20%, and the Utility (responsible for delivering safe water) funds the remaining 60%. Each of the three sponsoring agencies appoints one citizen representative to sit on the Committee, and three at-large positions are appointed by the remainder of the Board of Directors. The group has a paid staff of five: an Executive Director, an Operations Manager, a Watershed Projects Coordinator, an Education/Outreach Coordinator, and an Office Manager. The Watershed Committee has been very successful in obtaining grants for a variety of watershed protection projects, and has a corps of about thirty trained volunteers to help implement the projects (see below). Since its inception, the Committee has enjoyed a high level of community support. For example, when a county official recommended that the group be terminated (he felt Springfield didn't need another burdensome layer of bureaucracy), the local citizenry determined that it was highly beneficial to have an objective, citizen-based advisory group to guide local decision-makers. Every month, 30 to 50 people attend the Committee's meetings (many of them are citizens-at-large who are not affiliated with a relevant agency) and discuss a variety of pertinent watershed issues and concerns. Management Measures The goal of the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks is to protect the sources of public drinking water for the Springfield-Greene County community. The Committee seeks to accomplish this mission through a variety of programs, including: • Development Review. The Committee reviews all developments that are proposed in the watershed, and makes recommendations to appropriate planning agencies. When necessary, the Committee promotes more protective watershed regulations and ordinances. Office of Water (4606M) 816F100022 January 2010 ------- • Educational Events. The Committee sponsors many education and outreach events, including conferences, targeted workshops, and media campaigns. • Cost-Sharing. Some of the Committee's most successful projects have involved direct work with farmers, developers and landowners. Through grants, primarily Clean Water Act Section 319 grants, the Committee has been able to cost-share with these individuals on a variety of better management practices that help to protect water quality. • Demonstration Projects. The Committee has a variety of urban and agricultural demonstration areas where citizens can observe improved watershed management practices in action. • Water Quality Monitoring. The Committee has worked with its sponsors and state and federal agencies to monitor water quality and development in watershed areas. • Decision-making Tools. The Committee has developed water-resource GIS applications to help the community make better informed decisions regarding the watersheds. Current Efforts The Watershed Committee is in the seventh year of planning and construction of a Watershed Education and Demonstration Center in Springfield. On 100 acres of land owned by City Utilities, in the heart of the Fulbright Spring Recharge Area, the Committee is developing a 10,000 square foot "green" building with workshop spaces, a publicly accessible water quality laboratory, exhibit spaces and offices. This building and site will feature a host of energy and water conservation strategies and best management practice demonstrations (including green roofs, wetland filters, rain gardens, cistern catchments for rainwater, passive solar, and wastewater recycling in a plant-based treatment system). Already completed on the site are 2 1/4 miles of trail, two outdoor classrooms (of the four planned, one each at the wetland, spring, stream and lake), a wetland enhancement project, and a porous pavement parking lot demonstration. The Committee is currently in a capital campaign to raise the $3.3 million in funding necessary to complete this $7.5 million project. Contingency Planning The City Utilities of Springfield has contingency plans in place in the event of the loss of any of its water sources, including mandatory conservation under worst-case scenarios. As a result of the terrorist events of September 11th, water plant and watershed security has been tightened. In conjunction with Greene County's nationally recognized Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Watershed Committee has conducted several joint exercises involving potential threats to the water supplies. In addition, the Committee has made efforts to inform emergency personnel of watershed boundaries through highway signs and by providing laminated watershed maps for emergency vehicles. Measuring Program Effectiveness The Committee's effectiveness has been measured using a variety of direct and indirect methods. Through water quality monitoring, the Committee has documented water quality improvements in targeted watersheds where better management practices have been implemented, and water quality remains high despite increased development in the Office of Water (4606M) 816F100022 January 2010 ------- watersheds. The Committee also measures success by the increasing number of developers and landowners who seek its help or advice early in the planning process, and then implement the Committee's recommendations. Other indications of success include the increasing number of people subscribing to the newsletter, and a growing number of hits on its website. The Committee considers its greatest indicator of success to be the fact that the three local sponsors have continued funding its efforts for over twenty years. For further information, contact: Loring Bullard, Director Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Phone: (417)866-1127 loring@watershedcommittee.org Website: www.watershedcommittee.org Office of Water (4606M) 816F100022 January 2010 ------- |