The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division, in partnership with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC), has scheduled the final public meetings to update the watershed-based management plan for the Illinois River Watershed.
The Illinois River and its tributaries have a variety of uses set forth by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, including fisheries, recreation, drinking water supply, and agricultural and industrial water supply. The goal of this watershed-based plan is to protect and improve water quality in streams and other waterbodies by addressing non-regulatory issues through voluntary activities or practices.
This is in-person and virtual. Call-in details: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81769907371?pwd=JeYsLLjaDXkPWr05AvRoMLsAPNvKZP.1 Meeting ID: 817 6990 7371, Passcode: 474269
“We greatly appreciate the overwhelming turnout of nearly 100 stakeholders for the third meeting in August,” said Tate Wentz, Arkansas Natural Resources Division Water Quality Section Manager. “The final meetings will focus on review of the watershed-based management process, watershed modeling results, and anticipated outcomes of conservation practice implementation. We will continue to accept input from stakeholders about conservation practices, so it is critical for anyone interested to attend and share input to guide resource allocations to improve water quality into the future.”
The meetings are open to the public and representatives from Arkansas and Oklahoma will provide an overview of the watershed management planning process. Stakeholders will hear from representatives on water quality model outputs and conservation practices to improve local water quality.
The meetings are set for June 25, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the Armory at 100 North Water Avenue and on June 26, 2024 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Illinois River Watershed Partnership Watershed Sanctuary at 221 South Main Street, Cave Springs, Arkansas.
For more information about the meeting, contact Tate Wentz at tate.wentz@agriculture.arkansas.gov.
Participants are encouraged to attend in person.
No RSVP required.