Freese and Nichols Completes 13 Watershed Assessments for Natural Resource Conservation Service
Freese and Nichols completed 13 watershed assessments in Arkansas for the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) and the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) to improve water quality, reduce sedimentation, improve wildlife habitat and promote sustainable stewardship of soil and water resources.
The assessments included physical and hydrologic watershed characterization, resources analysis and source assessment and summary and recommendations. The project also included spreadsheet water quality modeling (STEPL) for each watershed along with detailed geographic information system (GIS) data and analyses. Each assessment includes a description of the water quality impairments and information showing areas that may benefit from implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) and other management measures.
The watershed assessments provide the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Arkansas with actionable data to prioritize the implementation of targeted watershed scale projects which encourage agriculture producers to adopt on-farm conservation practices by providing financial assistance to offset the cost of implementation. NRCS staff are utilizing these assessments to hold meetings with stakeholders and producers to identify the critical conservation practices and establish treatment goals for the projects. These assessments may result in $8 million or more of targeted financial assistance to address resource concerns in Arkansas.
For more information, contact Jeremy Rice, jjr@freese.com, 918-238-1930 .
