Click HERE to view KY3 Story — Long lost historic spring resurfaces in central Springfield

Today, my thoughts are scattered, still basking in remembered glory of yesterday’s field trip. As this is the case, and I have no wish or intent of reeling in my sentimental thoughts, I leave you with these musings. Fight for field trips in schools, especially those that bring kids into contact with nature. It is sad that these kids only get one field trip, and I was thankful that we got to have them out here and show them our best. Second, be fascinated by nature and encourage children to do the same. I learned quickly that the loudest voice cannot speak over the slightest shaking of branches by an unknown agitator. Children are naturally fascinated by creatures, but it is a fascination easily quelled.  Stop your sentence, and let them watch the beetle cross the path and stumble over dry leaves. There is more gained from those buzzing wings and scratching legs than in all of your words. Finally, I owe a great deal of thanks to all of you reading this entry. This success is your success. It is due to your involvement, your volunteering, your support, your guidance, and your sponsorship that I am able to convey the message of stewardship and protection of water and land on these trips. You make us, and you keep us moving forward; perhaps the most humbling thought of all. Thanks for reading.

Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator

You can also check out City Utilities website HERE for water saving tips including the EVEN/ODD watering guidelines.  It is amazing how much water can be saved if we all only water our lawn/flowers a couple of days a week depending upon our address. Incorporate that with a rain barrel, and wow, water savings extravaganza!  And a lower water bill to boot.

So join us to make a commitment this Drinking Water Week to conserve water at home and stop by our office for home water saving devices!

What do you know about H2O?

This week May 5^th through 11^th is Drinking Water Week sponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) to recognize the importance of tap water. The theme this year is “What do you know about H2O?” which encourages people to get to know their water supply.  Clean tap water is critical to the success of a healthy community. Our health, industry, agriculture and recreation all rely on a clean supply of drinking water. 

The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks is dedicated to protecting our drinking water supply every week of the year through education and best management practices in our watershed.  Drinking water week is a perfect time to celebrate the quality of water we have in here in the Ozarks and also highlight the diligent work that goes into protection, treatment and transport of that clean water to your tap every day!   Water infrastructure is an important piece of how clean water is delivered to your home.  Not as visible as the transportation infrastructure we drive our cars on everyday however it is no less important.  Reinvesting in that water infrastructure is essential for the health of our community.

 So “What do you know about H2O?”  Drinking water week trivia question of the day, approximately how many residential miles of water distribution lines do we have in Springfield, MO?  (answer to be revealed in follow up blog post)

Stacey Armstrong
Projects Manager

Though I might be taken for melodramatic by some in my aching over picking a few small plants, we must all face similar challenges in our own lives. It is necessary for us, in some cases, to thin ourselves to promote growth. Unless you are a cautious “sower” of habits, hobbies, and home improvement projects, you’ve likely got a few things that are competing for your energy and attention. It becomes imperative, in these circumstances, to reign in a bit and take stock of what can stay and what probably needs to go; to find the values and purposes closest to the core. With the sun showing itself brighter and warmer every day, the urge for outside activity is building within me. I must take great lengths to channel my excitement into established hobbies, like fishing and camping, to avoid stretching myself into new and expensive endeavors. What I mean to say is that I absolutely need a stand up paddle board and a mountain bike, but I will exert self-control and stick with my hiking boots and flyrod.

While on a personal level, thinning is very important, the goals and focus of an organization have, perhaps, and even greater reach. In the non-profit world, this can be especially true; the identity of an organization needs to be clear and simple, expressed in its mission. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks works hard to maintain a singular focus on what we view with upmost importance – clean water. Though the expression of our mission might vary from activities like tree planting to advising local task forces and committees to catching critters in the creek with school children, our mission is always the focus. Our mission is to “sustain and improve water resources for Springfield and Greene County through education and effective management of the region’s watersheds.” To this end, all of our efforts are funneled. Many of our friends and partners within the community have helped us along the way to that end, all for different reasons, aligning with their own missions. This fact represents the beauty of that painful thinning process. No group and no person has to do or be everything. As our missions find themselves entwined time and again we can see that our effort towards finding a focus pays dividends when we work together. With strong purposes in mind, many groups can qork toward a common goal, and each member carries part of the load. We live in a community of focused and passionate groups and individuals where cooperation is nearly inevitable. Without that dreadful process of thinning our interests and energies early on, this sort of collaboration would be difficult indeed.

A young common snapping turtle at Valley Water Mill Lake

It’s time for spring cleaning. What can you thin? If you find good clean water and a healthy environment on your short list, we would be happy to work with you. Thanks for reading.

Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator

On April 19th, 2013 the Watershed Committee Choose Environmental Excellence Award was presented to Rick Scarlet and Gloria Johnson, in recognition of water resource stewardship and leading the community by example.  Their home is a model for rainwater harvesting, low impact development, and renewable energy generation.

Mike Kromrey
Executive Director

Students picking up debris from the creek

What a wonderful thing it is when young adults take charge of the health of their community. Last Tuesday about seventy college students from Missouri State University gathered downtown in the middle of the school day. The goal was not to socialize or to skip class, although both outcomes were almost certainly realized along the way. The aim of these fraternity and sorority brothers and sisters was to leave a positive impact upon our dear urban stream, Jordan Creek. Two hours of sweat and hard work yielded over fifty great big bags of refuse pulled from the rippling waters and staged for pickup by the city’s trucks. What touched me was not just the camaraderie or the passion for volunteerism. It was the willingness to work without a great deal of encouragement.

Running from one spot to the next, and talking with Kellie Herman, my partner in the days activity from James River Basin Partnership, I was unable to provide real-time feedback and prodding to the crew. Yet, they continued to fill the bags. The creek was heavily littered, and the water was cloudy and dull from the week’s rain and runoff. Yet, they stooped to remove the smallest scraps from its floodplain. The sky was cloudy, and the air cool. Yet, they donned their sunglasses and work gloves and behaved as if the sun shone brightly and welcomed them into the outdoors. Though a few came to ask about where to go next or what to do, which is to be expected from student and professional alike, the majority kept head down, eyes scanning for the next morsel to feed the hungry trash sac. Then, at the agreed upon time, they dispersed, returning to campus and looking forward to the evening’s events. Without a word, or a plea for acclamation; without a pat on the back, or a bid for recognition they simply packed up and left. To say I was impressed is unjust. I admired their willingness to contribute their time and energy, regardless of their motivation.

I am grateful for the work of these young people and the groups that will surely come after them. I only hope that their dedication and willingness to pursue these altruistic endeavors is contagious and inheritable for those brought up under them. We surely have a great deal to look forward to and a reason for hope as this cohort of students become the professionals and policy makers, the servants and helpers, of tomorrow. A workday creek cleanup is an inspiring endeavor and I urge anyone who can to participate in one (or a few!).

Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator

Saturday April 27, 2013 from 10am-2pm

Unused or expired medications are a public safety issue  and if disposed of improperly can cause problems for aquatic ecosystems. Medication take-back events provide a means for safe disposal of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

See attached flyer for more information and  participating pharmacies. Take Back Flier Spring 2013

Projects Manager, Stacey Armstrong, has coordinated and partnered with this event for the last two years with a Watershed Committee table providing water quality information. This year, she and WCO volunteers will be handing out CU home water conservation kits.

Redbuds are blooming along the stream, as if a massive brush dipped in fuchsia has painted its banks. Dogwood flowers are scant and tinged with a fresh yellow green. The curtains have fallen on the trout lily, but wake robin is subtly beautiful in its second week since debut. A gentle shower whispers through the cedars without reaching my skin before disappearing as quickly as it arrived. The streams are full and audible before they are visible

The Big Urbie Stormwater Grant successfully planted 290 native seedlings along South Creek at the William H. Darr Agricultural Center in Springfield last Thursday.

A special thank you goes out to Missouri State University, Ozark Greenways, Tom DeWitt and his dedicated group of students that made this such a productive afternoon!  As these seedlings grow they will protect and improve stormwater quality in our community for many years.
Stacey Armstrong, Projects Manager

Pure Water … Brick by Brick

Only 1 Day Remains-We are about $1,500 away from our $12,000 Goal!!

Want to support water sampling, sponsor a child to attend a Watershed Center field Trip or have your name or message engraved on our walkway? You can do all of these by being a part of this campaign!

Brick by Brick PDF (takes a few seconds to load)

Check out our Cause Momentum Campaign:

CauseMomentum.org

https://www.causemomentum.org/projects/pure-water-brick-by-brick

BRICK BY BRICK PDF   (TAKES A MINUTE TO LOAD)

If you have already given, please consider this: If we do not reach our goal, your pledge may be credited back to you in your Cause Momentum account and you will have a balance in your account. You can still make your committed pledge and receive your bricks!!

You can pledge directly to the Watershed Committee on our agency profile page. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.

Remember, a “share” is as good as a gift! Thank you for your support. 

Mike Kromrey
Executive Director

At yesterday’s Learning Community workshop sponsored by The Community Foundation of the Ozarks, our speaker emphasized this interpersonal process. For too long we have learned the inefficiencies of the “spray and pray” tactics of mass marketing, emailing, Facebooking, Tweeting, and flyer hanging, particularly in the non-profit world. The modus operandi of a grassroots movement tends to focus on the mobilization of many passionate people to convince other people they need to also be passionate by distributing handbills and petitions. Please, do not confuse my criticism with disdain; I get a thrill canvasing a neighborhood with door hangers promoting a cause I feel strongly about. Our error is in using this sort of approach to handle all of our engagement practices. We must retrain ourselves to connect on a personal level with conversation. For example, if printing and distributing one thousand brochures yields three or four new volunteers, but talking to ten college students in person, one on one, gives me the same result, isn’t my time more effectively spent in conversation? Don’t those new volunteers have a better feel for what their role will look like? Aren’t there fewer unanswered questions? The personal touch is key.

In our current fundraising campaign, we have had the chance to utilize both strategies. Through advertising and guerilla marketing, we have gotten the message out that we are raising funds, and we have met some return. However, most of the footwork, and most of the success, has been coming from those phone calls to friends and relatives, the personal emails to professional contacts, and the sit-down meetings with peers. Much of our support is coming from people we truly know.

At the Watershed center, I experience the same issues in education. No amount of declaration or zealous speech will convince more than one or two students of the importance of protecting and cherishing our natural resources. My curriculum and wordsmithing are lost on the wind but for the experience and engagement that accompanies them. If every child had the chance to hold a crayfish in their hands, feet in the clear water, grin reaching one ear to the other, we’d live in a much different world. Nothing can supplant an experience

and encouraging word in changing a person’s attitude. Knowledge takes hold when beyond hearing, a child can also see the world through a naturalist’s eye. An what a grea

ter blessing it is for that naturalist to see the forest through a child’s eyes. This level of engagement holds the power to change perceptions and to motivate action.

Running Water

 Last week the skies cleared, the weather warmed, and I pulled out my running shoes for a lunch-hour run.  I had no idea what I was in for…

Within three blocks, I ran into a friend who had recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan—a place with little water and many other perils.  He and his friend were planning a river clean up, and retrofitting a house to conserve water, so the chance encounter was welcomed and productive.   This detour led me to another wonderful water occurrence:  A man creating a beautiful work of art around a storm drain as part of the James River Basin Partnership and City’s Storm drain reveal project.  Check it out in front of St. Michaels on McDaniel and South, where “Jordan Creek is just a hop away”.

From there I hopped on “The Link” to the MSU campus, where the new recreation center’s large rain garden was full from the previous night’s rain and seemed to be functioning

Walnut Streetscape after BMPs

well.  Right next door at Greenwood Lab School, our automated water sampler for the DNR 319 Big Urbie project was sitting, hopefully full of water samples.  The data collected here will ultimately help tell us how well our water quality “best management practices” work.  And before I knew it, I was at another DNR 319 Big Urbie project: the Walnut Street Streetscape, where attractive landscaping also does a huge amount of stormwater work.

By the time I was back downtown, my lungs were filled with spring air and my heart was filled with a feeling of success.  And then I saw it—A young man casually tossed a cigarette but in a smoky ark toward a storm drain, directly in my path.  He cringed as I stopped running, bent down, put out his cigarette.  After awkward silence I said, “Hey, did you know these go right into Jordan Creek from here?”  He said “Really?”  I threw it away in the trashcan a few yards away, and wondered if this action would affect his behavior in the future.  The tone of his voice seemed sincere, and I would like to believe it will be the last time he puts a butt in the creek.

 This uncanny set of circumstances seemed to affirm two things.  One is that we (WCO and many other water warriors) are making a difference—one project, one conversation, one action at a time.  The second is that we still have a long way to go, but I think if people understand an issue, they are more likely to come with you.

Mike Kromrey
Executive Director

]]> http://watershedcommittee.org/2013/04/03/water-wednesday-running-water/feed/ 0 http://watershedcommittee.org/2013/03/28/april-meeting-agenda/ http://watershedcommittee.org/2013/03/28/april-meeting-agenda/#comments Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:41:44 +0000 Kelly G http://watershedcommittee.org/?p=3127 Join Us April 5th for our Monthly Meeting at the Midtown Carnegie Library 7:30am (397 E. Central Springfield MO)

7.     Regional Issues

8.     Other Business

Only 15 days to be a part of our Cause Momentum fundraiser!   Click here to see how you can have your name on a pervious paver leading to the C.W. Titus Education Facility!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, April 6th
Shoreline Clean Up on Table Rock Lake
For more information:
http://trlwq.org/whats-happening/events/wk-lewis-cleanup-table-rock-lake

Saturday, April 27
Prescription Take Back Event 10am-2pm at participating Springfield Pharmacies

Saturday, May 18th
14th Annual Ozark Greenways Adventure Race
For more information:
http://www.greenwayrace.org/

Between cool and cloudy weather, a national homeschool basketball tournament, and free roller coaster rides at Silver Dollar City (seriously, the same day), our event was slightly less populated than we had planned. On the bright side, a few kids got a great deal of attention from Springfield’s best Environmental Educators. An unexpected and perhaps more important impact fell upon the grown-ups in the room. A room full of educators filled the room and shared downtime together. Presenters browsed tables, met their extra-organizational counterparts, and hatched new collaborations. We had stumbled into one of the best professional networking opportunities of this year. We all learned of organizations or programs that were unknown to us previously, stretching and connecting the axons and synapses of Springfield’s environmental mind. The atmosphere was electric, and we all left the room charged and unimpeded by a less than normal turnout for our event.

Stream Team trainees enjoying late March snowflakes

At the Stream Team workshop, I had the opportunity to play host and student. Men and women stood out in the snow, clad in waders and duck boots, giddy with excitement as we stared into a net. Hands shaking from the cold, we pulled sturdy stonefly nymphs, corpulent crane fly larvae, and even a stealthy sculpin. A room full of quiet and studious adults transformed into giggling children, full of wonderment and butterflies at our discoveries.

How hard it is to change a grown-up. It has taken years, but we have filled ourselves with contentment, pride, selective hearing, and notions of “how things work” or “how things ought to be.” Errors and misconceptions revealed to us often fall away at our next obligation or distraction. New and wonderful facts and knowledge meet hard-packed busy lives and bounce harmlessly off of a tough shell. Yet, time and time again, I am reminded how willing and eager young people are to learn new things. At every field trip, every event, every interaction, kids will gladly accept what they have been told, or better yet, what they have seen and held and felt. Therein lies the cause of our miraculous conversion at a Stream Team training session and at the Educational event. Experience, hands-on engagement, and an atmosphere of freedom and encouragement caused both groups of adults to shed baggage and become courageous, making new friends, stepping off of the snow-covered bank, holding a crayfish. The only way to bypass this condition of adulthood is to teach your neighbor as one child would teach another; with excitement and wonder.

As we pursue opportunities to educate the public, we will continue to find ways to engage and interact with our community as peer-to-peer relationships form and the good news of clean water spreads.

Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator

This is a day to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of that resource.  Each year World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater; in 2013 the theme is the International Year of Water Cooperation.  All around the world water professionals and citizens are working together to help provide clean water to those that don’t have access to clean drinking water. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF about 780 million people lack access to an improved water source which is approximately one in nine people.  The almost 2 billion people that have gained access to improved water sources since 1990 helps provide evidence that water cooperation has a positive impact. 

In the Ozarks we are blessed with clean drinking water and we have many local community partners working together to help ensure that resource will sustain future generations.   Our water resources are complex and it takes a committed diverse group of people to protect that resource.  If you are reading this post chances are you are part of that group.  Today in recognition of World Water Day the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks would like to say thank you to our sponsors, partners and water warriors that help protect our local drinking water supply!

“Coming together is the beginning.  Keeping together is progress. Working together is success!”

-Henry Ford

To learn more about how you can be engaged in protecting our local water resources visit: www.watershedcommittee.org 

To learn more about World Water Day visit: http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/home/en/ 

Water Data reference from, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2012) http://www.wssinfo.org/ 

Stacey Armstrong
Projects Manager

We have a very exciting project occurring right now on Cause Momentum:   https://www.causemomentum.org/projects/pure-water-brick-by-brick 

 Please check it out–Cause Momentum is a dynamic, crowd-source giving platform and a really incredible community resource provided by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Marlin.  As an incentive for several donation levels of our drive, you can have your name or message engraved on a brick that will be installed in the walkway of the Watershed Center!

 Also, check out our 2012 annual report!    WCO 2012 Annual Report 

The Annual Report highlights the many accomplishments of the last year.   We have a few extra printed copies, so if you would like one let us know. 

Thank you for your support!

Mike Kromrey
Executive Director

What relation has fire to water? While only the spring growth will show us the fruits of our labor, we can be assured of one thing; fire encourages native plant growth. Whether the fire is meant to reduce thistle, Johnson grass, and parsnip, as it was in our case, or to cut down cedar trees and understory growth in forests across the state, prescribed and well-managed fires can give a habitat a fresh start, free of the choking encroachment of non-native or invasive species.

These native species are well adapted to the Ozarks. Prairie plants have roots that run deep, reaching for water in dry climates. When it rains, these roots encourage water to move down into the soil. Rather than running off, rainwater is pulled into the ground and the plants themselves. This infiltration prevents erosion of soils and sediment into nearby waterways. Native prairie grasses do not rely on irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizer like so many of our introduced species. They can survive with only water from the rain, good soil, and space. Not only does the occasional prescribed burn cut down on the invasive species population, in some instances it causes native seed to germinate, sprouting wonderful grasses and flowers that are beautiful to the eye and beneficial to the ecosystem.

Fire is a wonderful tool for maintaining and managing healthy Ozark habitats, but don’t take it lightly. Many things can go wrong as fire is a powerful and sometimes unpredictable force. The Missouri Department of Conservation can write burn prescriptions for private land if you are willing to work with them. Today, we worked with our friends from Ozark Greenways. They had the background knowledge, experience, burn plan, and equipment. We were simply along for the ride, and we could not be happier with the experience we had today. This video shows our burn.

The walkway leading up to the C.W. Titus Educations Facility

If you listened to KSMU today, you may have heard a story about a giving platform known as Cause Momentum. The story was great and does a thorough job of explaining the origin and purpose of Cause Momentum, so I will post it below.

The story got me thinking about our community’s recent local focus. You can find a million blogs about buying, eating, shopping, and spending locally. A movement in local diet has spawned a new lifestyle for those who call themselves “locavores”. We even had a speaker at our last Monthly Meeting that talked about our “foodshed”. Just like a watershed, the foodshed is the area from which your food is produced. The smaller your foodshed, the lighter your impact on the environment.

We see time and again in economic writings that supporting local business enriches a community. Spending your money at a local business will usually double or triple your investment in the local economy. Successful local store owners are likely to spend their money at other local businesses and so on. Shopping locally is clearly advantageous, but what about giving?

There are many wonderful international charities, and I certainly don’t want to take away from what they do. There are some charitable activities that simply cannot take place within the city limits of Springfield, so these larger institutions enable us to give help to those far away. Now, let’s consider the impact of local charity. If we give our money locally, it will go toward improving some local problem, be it social, environmental, or humanitarian. Lucky for us, Springfield is full of active, hard-working non-profit organizations that use small budgets to make big differences. Cause Momentum serves the community by making it easy to give and by connecting givers to organizations in need. If you are looking for an organization to give to, and you like to spend your money within your own community, then Cause Momentum is a perfect resource for you. Give it a look!

Cause Momentum

The Watershed Committee Cause Momentum Page

The KSMU Story

Pure Water … Brick by Brick

During the drought last summer, our community focused on water…until it rained. At the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, we focus on a clean, sustainable water supply every day, and we still need your help.

Want to support water sampling, sponsor a child to attend a Watershed Center field Trip or have your name or message engraved on our walkway? You can do all of these by being a part of this campaign!

Check out our Cause Momentum Campaign: Pure Water… Brick by Brick at:  CauseMomentum.org

In the midst of a dense wet snow, the steering committee for the Conservation Innovation Grant huddled in a warm greenhouse at Urban Roots Farm (in the middle of Springfield, Missouri). Adam Millsap, who runs the farm with his wife, Melissa, gave us a tour of the high-tunnel greenhouse and showed us the fresh green kale, spinach, carrots, and other delicious green things growing in the dead of winter. Adam highlighted some improvements that he plans to make in order to make Urban Roots a zero-runoff property. When all of the pieces are in place, no rainwater will leave the farm in the form of runoff into the street or ditches. The rain will soak in to the ground, evaporate out through plants, or it will be captured and used on the farm to irrigate crops.

Many of the projects planned for the farm are the same projects that we can utilize in our own homes and yards. Rain gardens are a beautiful way to capture and absorb rainwater that would normally wash pollutants out into the road and down into storm drains. They provide habitat, shelter, and food, to urban wildlife, especially birds, in areas that they may not spend time in normally. These flowering native landscapes also increase the aesthetic of your home and neighborhood, making it an attractive place to the passersby. All of the benefits are topped by the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by flourishing plant life in your own yard.

The phrase “Meeting dismissed!” lingered in the warm air of the greenhouse. These words usually find people shuffling papers, putting on coats, or rushing out, already half-way through the door. Not so with this meeting. We were temporarily suspended in the fresh green sights and smells. No one took so much as a step toward the door. Everyone breathed deeply and looked about in wonder, amazed by the miracle of bright green plants growing only a few feet from the inches of snow kept at bay by a simple frame and sheet of plastic. Surrounded by life, we all took a moment to recharge before stepping into the bright white winter outside. I am not sure about the others who were there, but the warmth of the garden stayed with me all day.

Mike Kromrey & Rob Hunt

March 1st Agenda

1.     Watershed Committee Update

2.     Roll Call

3.     Review of Minutes

4. “What is the Healthy Living Alliance?”–Patty Cantrell, Director, Healthy Living Alliance 

5.     Missouri Department of Natural Resources Update–rescheduled for April

6.     Regional Issues

7.     Other Business

Watch Patty Cantrell give a fantastic presentation on Ted Talk HERE

If you visit a grocery store today you will probably see bottles and jugs of water flying off the shelves as people prepare for the upcoming winter storm. Precipitation, also known as water falling from the sky, is the cause of concern for many in our area. Falling water makes us buy bottles of stationary water. It is a funny coincidence, yet at the same time an often overlooked truth is perfectly reflected in our actions; water is precious. Without a steady supply from our faucets , we would be lost. I do not encourage an attitude of panic at the upcoming winter storm, nor do I encourage recklessness in the face of adverse weather; all I ask is a moment reflection.

Boardwalk and Fishing Piers at the Watershed Center

Beyond this storm, imagine what other measures we could take to prepare ourselves. We have seen winter storms before. The energy in the air today is not necessarily from fear of the unknown, but from an idea of what may happen and an appreciation of what winter storms do. As we approach this summer, will we feel a similar vibe throughout the community? For many of us, drought has been a fairly foreign idea; something other countries deal with, something that only affects you if you live in a desert state. However we were enlightened last summer with near emergency low levels of water, realizing very quickly that we are not immune from the possibility of water scarcity. Will we prepare ourselves for the warm and dry months as well as we do for the cold, wet ones? The truth is that we are even better equipped to deal with a problem like drought. We can see it coming a long way off. Rather than buying up all of the bottled water we can lay our hands on, we can store up rainwater through the spring. We can focus on hydration instead of drainage as we develop new parts of the landscape, and encourage the replenishment of our great underground bank account called the Ozark Aquifer.  We can conserve water many ways in our homes. Conserving now is what’s wise for the future. We can all play a part in being secure in our resources as the summer months approach and maybe avoid the pantry packing panic that we see today.

Rob Hunt
Watershed Center Coordinator

“It was horrible, horrible.” Such were the comments we heard on the national media of many passengers as they left the Carnival cruise ship Triumph early this morning. In short, the cruise ship experienced an engine fire on Sunday and has been either drifting or being slowly towed for the greater part of this week. Passengers hoarded food, sleeping conditions were uncomfortable without air conditioning, and people became afraid as, day after day, their homecoming was postponed. The largest complaint the passengers expressed, however, dealt with sanitation. The toilets ceased function shortly after the ship lost power, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members without modern facilities. Waste was stored in plastic bags, sinks were used in place of urinals, and passengers reported sewage leaking onto the floors and even causing people to slip and fall. For these vacationers, the nightmare ended this morning as they loaded busses, checked into hotels, took hot showers, and ate a fresh meal. For about 35% of the world’s population, the nightmare ends when they go to sleep, and begins again when they wake.

2.5 billion people lack access to a toilet or even basic sanitation. As Water.org puts it, “More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet.” Across the globe, public sanitation has risen to the top tier of pressing emergencies for human safety, and the imbalance among nations is staggering. We flush more clean drinking water down our low flow toilets in one flush than people in developing countries use in one entire day. So, what are we to do?

At home

Save water. Catch it, conserve it, treasure it. You can cut down dramatically on your personal water use by taking these five simple steps.

 1. Shorten showers to 5 minutes

2. Install a low-flow showerhead and sink aerators/check for leaks

3. Install high efficiency toilet or displace water in tank with a brick

4. Install a rain barrel and/or rain garden

5. Water Wisely-adjust sprinklers, follow even-odd, irrigate less

So, how does this help people in other countries? Considering out of all the water on earth, less than 1% of it is usable by humans, conserving the water we have conserves it for everyone. It is important to keep in mind the water shortages our third world brothers and sisters face, so we can continue to gain respect for this life sustaining resource by treating each drop as sacred.

Overseas

There are a number of organizations that work in impoverished countries to build sanitation infrastructure, dig wells, and provide drinking water filters. Below, I have listed a few of those resources. While many international organizations exist, you may also know someone who works on bringing water to those who need it most through philanthropic excursions. Talk to them, see what they know and find out how you can join the cause. If you know of local organizations that work in this area, please leave a comment below and let us see who is a part of this much needed solution.

Many prayers of thanksgiving were muttered as the weary tourists stepped off of their bad dream and into the arms of loved ones and the resources of our fortunate homeland. These voyagers have experienced something most of us never will-they were without basic sanitation resources.  Let us continue to work together to support our third world brothers and sisters but also be mindful of our own aging infrastructure and other challenges of the sustainability of our own water supply.

Resources

Local water organizations

http://Watershedcommittee.org

http://Jamesriverbasin.com

http://www.cityutilities.net/resident/water.htm

International water organizations

http://water.org/

http://waterislife.com/

http://www.waterforlife.org/

http://thewaterproject.org/default-new.php?utm_expid=13919153-0

Media

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW5eBfZhE4M

http://waterislife.com/media/videos/index.php?id=6

More information on the cruise ship

http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=triumph

Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator