League donates watershed management materials
Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/42222/
In an effort to educate the community on watershed issues, the League of Women Voters of Washington County purchased and donated a series of six manuals on small urban watershed management to the Fayetteville Public Library. Published by the Center for Watershed Protection, the manuals focus on a variety of urban watershed issues that provide common-sense, practical methods individuals and community groups can implement to protect, restore and repair water sources locally.
“ For over thirty years the Arkansas LWV has studied and recommended actions to protect the quality and quantity of the state’s water, ” league member Joyce Hale said. “ Rapid urbanization of Northwest Arkansas brings a new set of water problems and an urgency to act. ”
As techniques for protecting small watersheds from the detrimental effects of sprawling development and the accompanying impervious cover continue to improve, the Center for Watershed Protection creates materials and training opportunities for all types of watersheds.
“ Since we all can have a positive impact, education is most important, ” she said. “ The materials we have donated provide guidance for volunteerism in responding to local issues.
“ We want individuals to recognize the water problems at hand and understand how everyone can improve the situation by changing construction and personal water-use habits. ”
The league of women voters chose water quality as their research project for 2006 in an effort to provide information on water quality and pollution control in the area, raise local awareness of the issues facing the county, and give the lay person tools with which to work.
“ As I began my research, ” Hale said, “ I found these watershed manuals to be very readable and practical for people without a technical background. ”
The Center for Watershed Protection, a nonprofit corporation, teaches preventative and restorative practices. The Washington County LWV purchased the series expressly for use by community groups or individuals with emphasis on urban problems.
The series includes “ An Integrated Framework to Restore Small Urban Watersheds, ” “ Methods to Develop Restoration Plans for Small Urban Watersheds, ” “ Urban Stream Repair Practices, ” “ Pollution Source Control Practices, ” “ Unified Stream Assessment: A User’s Manual, ” and “ Unified Subwatershed and Site Reconnaissance: A User’s Manual. ”
The manuals are available for the general public in Adult Services on the second floor. The books can be checked out for two weeks with a potential for renewal for an additional two weeks. For more information, call 571-2222 ext. 4450 during regular business hours.