Arkansas State Water Plan: Assistance Please!

[DeBo]

Calling all members,Please attend the upcoming meetings on the new state water plan. It is important that we attend these meetings and provide input. This plan will protect Arkansas water resources or it will not. Unlike the Buffalo Hog farm, we can't say we didn't know. The notice is out on this one! Don't let the opportunity pass you by.

Here is the link to the upcoming meetings: http://www.arwaterplan.arkansas.gov/meetings.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Go to as many meetings as you can and ask questions. Make written and oral comments.

Here are some ideas:

TALKING POINTS AND QUESTIONS FOR UPCOMING WATER PLAN MEETINGS

• The water planning process must be science-based, transparent, and fair to all stakeholders.The plan must be adaptable to changes in science, technology and human needs. How will adaptive management and change be incorporated into the State Water Plan?

• The current demand forecasts were developed without constraints (either economic or ecological). Please describe how the Water Plan will address real demands – both those that we have now and how the plan will adapt in the future?

• Conservation practices, improvement in irrigation technology and other economic factors will provide incentives to be better managers of water in the future. The Water Plan should not plan into the future based on our current inefficiencies. How can the State Water Plan lead toincentives to be more efficient and productive with water use?

• The Little Red River watershed is the location of increased demand for water for natural gas extraction. It also has limited surface water and numerous sensitive species. How will the Water Plan protect this habitat?

• This past session the Legislature very quickly passed HB2088, now Act 593 of 2013, which removed reserved protection for fish and wildlife during water shortages without regard to the stream effected or whether the shortage was natural or man-made. How will the Water Plan and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission ensure that fish and wildlife are sustained through times of shortage?

• Arkansas will prosper through her varied industries, her strong agriculture community, and through her abundant natural resources. Water is vital to all sectors of our economy. The tourism industry brings $3-4 billion into our state’s economy. Fishing, hunting and wildlife watching make up a large portion of those dollars. Over 550,000 fishers; 335,000 hunters; and 800,000 photographers and wildlife watchers enjoy Arkansas’s abundance each year. Water based outdoor recreations such as canoeing and kayaking are expanding rapidly. How will the New State Water Plan protect access and navigation of waterways and the tourism industry as a whole, one of the fastest growing Arkansas industries?

Thanks, Debbie