Comprehensive Overview of Water Quality in Arkansas

Arkansas is endowed with numerous rivers, lakes and natural scenery, and therefore, has essential water resources that are used both eco and economically. The state is endowed with rivers such as the Arkansas River, White River and Ouachita River that furnish residents with drinking water, and irrigation plus recreational activities. The state of Arkansas has a wide array of water systems that facilitates growth of agriculture, fisheries and the tourism industry.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) provides the water quality monitoring and protection of the Arkansas state through the arranging of the frequent evaluations and outputs, reports and permitting work. According to general findings, Arkansas has good water quality although it encounters issues of nutrients pollution, wastewater discharge, and industrial-agricultural contamination. Arkansas has responded by embarking on protecting the quality of their water, improving waste water treatment plants, and reclaiming damaged waters. In spite of the appreciable improvement, a lot more has to be done on the pollution issues in order to have safe drinking water and healthy aquatic ecosystem. These involve continuous clean-ups of contaminated sites, testing the purity of water and improving storm water management measures in the state.

Arkansas Water Quality Challenges

1. Nutrient Pollution and Eutrophication

One of the greatest water quality problems evident in Arkansas is the nutrient pollution particularly farm runoff. Through fertilizers, livestock waste and urban run off, excessive nitrogen and phosphorus find their way to the water bodies which causes eutrophication. This may lead to state of harmful algal blooms that reduce the supply of oxygen and impair aquatic lives. There is a considerable depth at which the quality of the rivers and lakes in Arkansas may be spoilt by the nutrient overloads especially on the regions like the Arkansas River and the Ouachita River.

The state is striving to counter such problems by means of state and federal projects that are designed to curtail nutrient pollution. Farmers are being encouraged to adopt Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize fertilizer runoffs and adapt measures such as rotating crops, and having crop buffer zones to minimize nutrient overload of water bodies.

2. Contamination of Hazard and Industrial Waste

The state of Arkansas offers a wide variety of industries, some of which can contribute to the pollution of the water, namely those of mines, manufacturing and the chemical products industry. The industrial sectors of the state including in and around Little Rock and Pine Bluff are under threat of disposing of toxic waste into the water bodies in the surroundings. The possibility of rivers, lakes and groundwater becoming contaminated by heavy metals, toxic chemicals and petroleum products poses a danger to the lives of people as well as aquatic life.

This is done by the state of Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), which controls wastewater disposals and checks on the activities of industries to ensure no contamination occurs. Nevertheless, contamination due to legacy practices introduced by industries in the past is still a concern and currently the subject of remediation.

3. Pathogen Contamination

Some of the areas in Arkansas are a serious issue of pathogen contamination especially the rural settings where you find a lot of septic systems and live stock farms. Rivers and lakes can be contaminated by the fecal coliform bacteria, which are mostly caused by animal waste, sewerage overflows, and failing septic systems. This poses a health threat to the society and it also contaminates water which may not be used in recreations.

The water quality is regularly monitored by the state authorities on the presence of pathogens and advisories are issued when the level of contamination surpasses the safe status. As far as concentrated farming is concerned, the state is laying intentions upon evaporating runoffs of manure and ensuring better conditions of sewage maintenance to contain pathogen contamination.

4. Sediment/ Erosion pollution effects

The other important issue in Arkansas is sedimentation which occurs during construction activities, agriculture and forestry activities. Excessive sediment runoff through erosion of bare soil may cause blockage of waterways, lower the quality of water and destroy aquatic life. Sediments may as well block the movement of rivers and bar migration of fishes.

The region has erosion/sediment control in construction sites, streambank stabilization, and reforestation as part of the effort to achieve its goal of reducing the problem of sediment pollution. Also, agricultural runoff is being regulated by use of BMP, which lessens soil disturbance and facilitates healthy practices of land use.

State and Local Efforts to Improve Water Quality

1. Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

The Clean water state revolving Fund (CWSRF) where Arkansas is a participant offers low interest loans to water quality improvement projects of the local governments and the municipalities. Through this program, it assists in funding the upgrading of infrastructure including the wastewater treatment plants, rehabilitation of the sewer network, as well as the stormwater management plans. With the help of the improved water infrastructure, Arkansas can protect the quality of water and effectively avoid pollution and waste water emission.

Among the most recent projects funded by CWSRF are the modernization of old wastewater systems in rural locations, the modernization of the stormwater systems in urban areas, the increase of the application of green infrastructure in order to control the runoff and minimize pollution of the local waters.

2. Best agriculture management practices (BMPs)

One of the major components of the Arkansas economy is agriculture and it ranks of major in water quality as well. The state has introduced Best Management Practices (BMPs) in agriculture as a counter mechanism to nutrient pollution. They are useful in the reduction of runoff, control of soil erosion and minimization of chemical fertiliser and pesticide applications by farmers.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partners with the farmers of Arkansas to facilitate BMPs such as nutrient management, use of cover crops, and creation of vegetative buffer strips around waterbodies. The interests of these endeavors will be to minimize the influence of agricultural processes on local water bodies and enhance the state of rivers, lakes, and wetlands in the state.

3. Watershed Restoration and Monitoring Projects

Arkansas has engaged in numerous watershed restoration activities to uplift the level of water quality and ease distorted ecosystems. The state has come up with a list of priority watersheds which are polluted and their habitats destroyed. These restoration plans entail seeking the protection of the riparian zones via streambank restoration, reforestation, and sediment control attempts.

These projects present opportunities to partner with local stakeholders, environmental groups, and federal agencies to have them implemented by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). The rehabilitation of rivers such as the Buffalo River and the Arkansas River is essential to enhance the quality of water, conservation of biodiversity as well as the provision of clean water to the upcoming generation.

4. Education and Outreach

The Arkansas state has come a long way in sensitizing its citizens on how to ensure they conserve the quality of water and how they could be able to contribute to ensuring water quality. Arkansas safeguards local water bodies, inhibits pollution, and encourages water conservation through outreach campaigns to the general population.

The organization like "Arkansas Riverkeeper and keep Arkansas Beautiful" aims to make rivers and lakes clean, reduce litter, and practice responsible ways to use water. These activities assist in creating awareness of the significance of quality water and how people of Arkansas need to do something in their fight to save the water in the state.

Impact of Climate Change on Water Quality

1. Rising Temperatures and Algal Blooms

Climate change has already began to influence water quality in Arkansas; this is mainly due to rise in temperature and changes in pattern of precipitation. Increasing temperatures will be able to favor harmful algal blooms (HABs) development in lakes and rivers. Such flowers may cause shortage of oxygen in water supply and may also secrete toxins that are injurious to fish and other living organisms of the water.

The rivers of Mississippi and particularly those river-courses that open to the Gulf of Mexico are also subject to enhanced loading of nutrients via agricultural runoff. With a constant increase in temperatures, the possibility of HABs and other water quality problems occurrence grows, and the responsibilities of the state involve regular observation and control of the water quality and coping with nutrient pollution.

2. Flooding and Rising Rainfall

Heavy rainfall and floods are becoming more prevalent in Arkansas, and both of them relate to climate change. Storms tend to cause extreme rainfall resulting to more runoff which flow into the rivers and lakes carrying with them sediments, various pollutants and pathogens. The flood water may overpower the sewage treatment equipment, and result into overflow of waste water, as well as polluting more water further. Arkansas is working to eliminate those challenges by upgrading flood management infrastructure, increasing stormwater management programs, and encouraging the practice of sustainable urban planning because it helps limit the impact of high intensity rainfall on water quality.

3. Drought and Water Supply

The state of Arkansas usually has a lot of rain, but with climate change, the state can also become prone to a period of drought. Rivers and lakes can divide due to drought conditions making the water highly concentrated and of low quality. In the periods of drought, water conservation takes a high priority and the state is endeavoring to develop water management plans which involve low use of water, recycling of water and even alternative water sources.