Results of water quality monitoring of Moore’s Creek and Beatty Branch tributaries of Lincoln Lake have been released. The report is part of the Lincoln Lake Watershed Project. The Lincoln Lake project is a part of two decades of water quality work in the watershed.
The report indicates that, since the year 2000, nutrient and sediment loads transported from the surrounding lands to the tributaries of the lake have both been dramatically reduced. According to the report the following have declined:
• Total phosphorus in base stream-flow: dropped almost 50 percent
• Total nitrogen in base stream-flow: steadily declined
• Nitrate nitrogen in base stream-flow: declined 66 percent
• Total suspended solids: declined by nearly fivefold.
The total load, or pounds, of sediment and nutrients delivered to Lincoln Lake on an annual basis have also decreased.
Area farmers use recommendations from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Washington County Conservation District to improve their overall farm management strategies. These agencies all work to increase the knowledge and use of best management practices (BMPs) in the farming community. BMPs are proven management options that significantly reduce nutrient and sediment loss from the land to surrounding bodies of water. BMPs can be costly to implement, but farmers have been adopting various practices to protect water sources. Some BMPs, though, aren’t expensive and may actually increase farm profits. Most farmers have been incorporating the less-expensive practices for years.
Farmers aren’t the only ones who can implement BMPs. Municipalities, businesses, and individuals can improve water quality by learning what BMPs will work for their area.
For more information on best management practices, contact your local Extension office. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
