Water resources management plan : Buffalo National River : Arkansas

Mott, David; Lauraas, Jessica

A Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) is needed to better understand the water and water-dependent resources of Buffalo National River and provide a means to better protect those resources. A National Park Service Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) is designed to summarize the water resources and related issues and make recommendations for future actions. This plan will also serve to identify gaps in information on water resources and issues and provide a basis for future project development. Buffalo National River, established in 1972, is a water-based park, which encompasses a narrow "shoestring" boundary around the river for 135 miles. Only 11% of the watershed of this free-flowing river is within National Park Service (NPS) ownership; 60% of the watershed is in private ownership, and the remaining 29% is under state or U.S. Forest Service (USFS) protection. Water quality studies on both the river and some of its tributaries indicate degrading water quality, mostly due to the rapid conversion of forested land to agricultural land in the watershed. The resource management problems associated with limited jurisdiction are a common theme addressed throughout this plan, evident in the description of the existing resource conditions and the associated issues and recommendations. Specific issues are listed below: 1). Planning history of the WRMP 2). Watershed management 2a). Degrading water quality 2b). Riparian zones and bank erosion 3). Gravel mining 4). Development 5). Roads 6). Recreation 7). Reservoirs and impoundments 8). Groundwater and karst geology 9). Exotic species 10). Human health 11). Environmental education programs 12). Regulatory designation/standards 13). Cumulative effects/ecosystem disruption