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If ten glasses are filled with water from the Buffalo River, the contents of just one glass originates inside the National River boundaries. In other words, National Park Service manages only 11% of the total watershed, sharing ownership with Ozark National Forest (26%), Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (3%), and many private land owners (60%).
Land use activities, such as logging, gravel mining, and agricultural operations, occur within the watershed. Although the quality of the water flowing into and along the Buffalo River is generally considered excellent, these practices have been identified as affecting the river in some areas. With 60% of the watershed being managed by private individuals, the future of the river may well be in their hands.
One strategy for preserving the ecological balance of the river and its tributaries is education. During the last two years, three schools within the watershed (Jasper, Marshall, and St. Joe) have been chosen to take part in a pilot Water Education Team (WET) program. WET is sponsored by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Foundation, Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (ADPCE), and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Teachers select gifted and talented students in grades six to 12 to participate. The program is long-term, emphasizing environmental values and an understanding of the ecological balance of streams. Organizers hope the students will educate their parents and others.
In order to participate, the schools attend a 2day training workshop. In the training sessions, students and teachers are treated equally. Both are taught about water as a resource, the three components of water quality monitoring (chemical, physical, and biological), and the methodology used for water sample collection, analysis, and recording. Experts and guests from various agencies and organizations participate in the sessions.
Monitoring stations along various tributaries are chosen according to access and logistics, and sampled every month. Each school is equipped with field gear, meters, and lab equipment. In addition, the schools also receive computers, software, and modems for networking and data entry.
The National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and ADPC&E work closely with the schools to troubleshoot problems, replenish needed supplies, and analyze samples for nutrients. The students use EPA-approved methods to identify macro-invertebrates and to measure pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, turbidity, fecal coliform bacteria. [These data were used in the BRSF study summarized earlier - ed.] Refresher training and quality control checks are provided annually.
The program has been a real success thus far. Students and teachers have maintained enthusiasm and remained motivated, even taking on special projects. One senior at Jasper High School demonstrated leadership and initiative by designing a sampling regime for additional sites on the Little Buffalo River. Her project paper received state recognition and a $1000 Future Farmers of America college scholarship.
The Buffalo River watershed contains just four pollution "point sources" (discharges from the end of a pipe): the sewage treatment plants at Jasper, Marshall, Dogpatch, and Buffalo Point. All other pollution is from "non-point sources." These include:
The EPA estimates that half of all pollutants entering US waterways are from non-point sources. The EPA identifies agricultural sources as the most pervasive non-point source of pollution. Other problems contributing to water quality degradation in northern Arkansas are:
The Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (ADPC&E) has designated the Buffalo River and one of its major tributaries, Richland Creek, as "Extraordinary Resource Waters" and as "Natural and Scenic Waterways." ADPC&E's Antidegradation Policy applies to waters so designated. Arkansas' water quality standards state that protected waterways:
Michael Naranjo and David Mott work for the National Park Service. Sidebars in this article were excerpted from the Marshall High School Plan for the Water Education Project. The WET program is funded in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.