Beaver Water District

Philosophy of Source Water Protection

Long term thinking by area leaders such as Joe Steele and Hardy Croxton in the 1950s ensured that Northwest Arkansas now has an ample supply of fresh clean water. That water is consumed every day not only by the people who live here, but also by the industries that rely on an uninterrupted supply of affordable water for food processing and other manufacturing and production purposes.

Today, Beaver Lake is an outstanding resource, with water quality meeting all Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality standards. But we cannot expect it to stay that way if we are not proactive in protecting our resource.

It is our responsibility as citizens and leaders of the Northwest Arkansas community to continue the tradition of long-term thinking and protect the resource that past visionary leaders provided for us. It is that resource that has raised our standard of living and improved countless lives, making possible a sustained economic prosperity unlike any in the United States.

The Lake is a reflection of its watershed. That is, the quality of the water in the reservoir is dependent upon what is being done in its tributary area. If land use is thoughtful, we will enjoy the Lake and its blessings for generations to come. If our use of land in the watershed is careless, then the quality of the water in the Lake will suffer and become degraded.

Beaver Lake’s watershed is rapidly changing. Economic forecasters predict that more than 800,000 people will populate Benton and Washington counties by the year 2025, and as many as 1.2 million people will be living in Northwest Arkansas by 2050. With growth comes increased pressure on the watershed and the lake. Forests are cleared to make way for development. Roads are built to accommodate new subdivisions. More waste water is produced. Storm water runoff increases as does non point source pollution.

We know from current research that the upper third of Beaver Lake has an overabundance of algae. Because of algae, Beaver Water District experiences episodic taste and odor events in the drinking water. We know that we are experiencing an increase in disinfection byproducts precursors. When chlorinated, these precursors form potentially carcinogenic disinfection byproducts. We know also that during certain seasons, the bottom layers of the lake are depleted of oxygen. We know that the lake becomes extremely turbid after storm events. And we know from monitoring that the nutrient supply to the reservoir far exceeds the lake’s needs. Our lake cannot take care of itself.

Beaver Water District is committed to taking a leadership role in protecting Beaver Lake. But we want to make it clear that taking care of Beaver Lake is a community effort. All of us are part of the problem and all of us must be a part of the solution. It will take the combined efforts of children, adults, teachers, developers, engineers, accountants, farmers, politicians and all citizens to accomplish this vital task. That is, to maintain the quality of Beaver Lake.

Source water protection is not about telling people what to do. It’s about everyone doing what is right for our common good. If we work together, we can find a way to make it happen.

Beaver Water District, along with other stakeholders in the watershed, is dedicated to the long-term protection of the watershed. We are working daily through our public education programs, media contacts, speaking engagements, and our website to educate the public, children, business people, and policy makers about how the lake can be protected. Beaver Water District also sponsors monitoring and research on water quality in the watershed and on the lake. We have committed funds to securing conservation easements on critical properties in the watershed. And, we will take whatever actions are necessary to help watershed residents protect our common resource.

This is not just about drinking water. This is about our legacy; this is about the kind of Beaver Lake we want to leave for our sons and daughters, our grandchildren and their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s grandchildren. It is about swimming and boating and fishing, or just sitting and enjoying the water. It’s about leaving a clean environment for future generations. As our Board President John Lewis says, “It’s about building something sustainable where water can always be taken out of the lake for drinking.” (The late John Lewis served on the Beaver Water District board of directors from 1975 to 2007.)