State of Missouri - Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Center

156th Committee Meeting
October 30-November 1, 2007
Branson, Missouri 

Flooding

Spring rains during late April and through May brought significant flooding in rivers across northwest Missouri.  May total rainfall in several northwest counties (~ 10 inches) was approximately twice the thirty-year average (1971-2000, ~ 5 inches).  The highest river crests occurred during the first half of May bringing stages as much as 10 feet above flood stage at some locations.  At or near record high stages were reported on the Tarkio River, One Hundred and Two River, Platte River (in Missouri) and the Missouri River.

Drought

Dry conditions began to pervade this summer near Kansas City, in the southeast, south central, and east central parts of Missouri.  

Governor Matt Blunt signed Executive Order 07-27 on September 7, 2007 ordering the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director to initiate the Drought Assessment Committee and requested all state and federal agencies to participate as needed.    On September 21, 2007 the Drought Assessment Committee approved the Drought Conditions Status Map with 35 counties out of a total of 114 placed in a Phase 2 - Drought Alert. The Climate and Weather Subcommittee of the DAC created an interim drought status map on October 23, 2007 (Figure 1) showing considerable improvement since September.  

Greatest impacts have been upon forage conditions.  Due to the Missouri drought in 2006, and the extreme drought in Tennessee and Kentucky this year, hay has been costly  throughout Missouri with present forage conditions being poor in northeast, southeast, and east central Missouri.  The Farm Services Agency has received several county requests for Emergency Conservation Program (ECP).  ECP provides 50% cost sharing funds to supply alternative livestock water supplies where they have been depleted.

Missouri drought status maps and drought support materials can be found on our web site at: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/droughtupdate.htm

Figure 1

Missouri River

The department is working on a charter to establish a basin-wide endangered species recovery committee on the Missouri River called the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC).  The committee that was established to accomplish this task includes representatives from the eight states, 28 Tribes, and a diversity of stakeholders representing various interests.  WRDA 2007 includes authorization for MRRIC, under the Secretary of Defense.  Public comments are being taken on a draft charter until November 21.  More information can be found, or comments submitted at http://missouririver.ecr.gov/.

After eight years of drought, the Mainstem Reservoirs' drought conservation pool is still approximately 50% full (2.5 MAF higher than 1 year ago).  The Corps has reduced reservoir releases to minimal levels, including minimum service and 35 day shortening of the navigation season.  These reduced water levels not only impact Missouri River navigation, but also impacts utilities (water supply and power plants).  When the navigation season is shortened on the Missouri River, we are typically concerned about low water impacts to navigation on the Mississippi River (the season is shortened in the fall during harvest).  This year, the recent rains have kept river levels high enough that low water on the Mississippi River has not been an immediate concern.  

Missouri brought a lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers for its failure to comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it revised the Missouri River Master Water Control Manual (Master Manual) in 2006 to include a spring rise.  The Corps performed an Environmental Assessment and did not issue a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).  The federal government acknowledges that there are significant impacts from this new operation.  Missouri has argued that NEPA requires only two possible outcomes from an EA; either a FONSI, or an EIS (or Supplemental EIS).  By not issuing an EIS, the Corps' revision process did not offer an opportunity for public comment prior to its decision.  The federal government has argued that an earlier EIS contained a range of alternatives and as long as the new action is within that range, they do not have to do an EIS.  Oral arguments before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals were October 5, 2007.  A decision is pending.

Water Resources Monitoring Expansion

As part of the state’s budget for Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008, Governor Blunt approved $1.6 million to enhance water resource assessment and monitoring statewide.  The funding is designated for the addition, operation, and maintenance of 41 stream gages and 80 groundwater level gages. Gages were installed at twenty-one stream and four reservoir locations during FY07 (Figure 2).  Funding was continued for several threatened gages and sites where ongoing water quality assessment is needed.  Six additional gages will be installed during FY08 (Wakenda River, Auxvasse River, Hundred & Two River, Fabius River, Upper Meramec River and Roaring River spring branch).

The department has been monitoring groundwater levels throughout Missouri since the mid-1950s. The groundwater-level monitoring network is operated and maintained by the department’s Water Resources Center and consisted of 79 wells located in 58 counties prior to the FY07 and FY08 expansion.  Real-time data collected by the network is served to the public on-line.  The department added 30 new monitoring wells during FY07 (Figure 3) and plans to add 48 in FY08, bringing the total number of monitoring wells to approximately 157.  Ten wells have been drilled near major water users in southwest Missouri to document water use and localized groundwater level decline.  There are currently 109 operational observation wells. 

Figure 2 – Stream gages added during FY 07

Figure 3 – Groundwater monitoring wells added during FY 07

Water Supply Planning

Southwest Missouri

The department remains involved in regional water planning.  Projections show that within 10 years southwest Missouri will experience critical water supply shortages.  The Tri-State Water Resources Coalition was formed to address concerns such as high growth rate, localized overuse of groundwater, and the potential for future overuse of surface water.  The Coalition presented recommendations in September 2006 for addressing the water resource needs of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. Recommendations included pumping water from Table Rock Lake in Missouri, constructing a new reservoir in Missouri, or pumping water from the Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma. Estimated costs ranged from $1.5 billion to $2.2 billion.

During the September 19, 2007 Tri-State Water Resource Coalition meeting, the Board took action to proceed with a planning study to identify and evaluate a suitable reservoir site(s) to meet the long-term water supply needs of the Tri-State region.  The department will proceed with the preparation of a draft Planning Assistance to States (PAS) funding agreement to be submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) – Little Rock District.  This agreement will include a scope of work and project budget.

The department will utilize $50,000 (in funds dedicated to the Tri-State effort) in addition to in-kind services to maximize available Corps funding.  The amount of available Corps funding will be determined during the federal fiscal year 2008.

Northwest Missouri

After two years of studying the needs and possible production of quality finished water for 12 counties in northwest Missouri, the Water Partnership of NWMO has developed an initial plan to create a series of transmission water mains to deliver finished water to the region (Figure 4). Those counties include Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Harrison, Holt, Nodaway and Worth. The plan allows local water distribution systems to continue to operate and distribute water, and link to the new source water in five Phases. The plan incorporates seven hubs or existing water systems that already provide source water to their customers and have the potential to expand. Earlier in the planning process, the department conducted a baseline study of the 83 water systems in the region. Of the 83, 43 systems purchase water from neighboring sources. At one time, 24 of the 43 systems that purchase water had their own source of water – two were abandoned reservoir systems and 22 were abandoned wells.

Phase II Planning began in Sept 2007. The Partnership’s work plan includes a feasibility study, capacity development training program for all 83 systems who chose to participate, a partnership with the NWMO Economic Development Roundtable, recommendation for a governance structure for the transmission lines, and a public education component on the real cost of drinking water. Several water systems in Atchison County have applied for bond funds to assist in building a new water treatment facility and connection lines to outlying communities, actually the first step in the proposed transmission system.

History: Following a prolonged drought in 2003, in 2006, a group of concerned citizens and regional planning commissions met with the department to request assistance.  Director Childers and Senator Brad Lager worked with the group to host a water summit in November 2006. The department gave the NWMO State University an initial planning grant of $113,000 on behalf of the Water Partnership.  In Phase II Planning, another grant was given for $151,000. The Partnership has applied for additional funding (planning assistance to states) from Corps of Engineers to complete an engineering feasibility study and cost estimate.

Figure 4

Southwest Missouri - Stone/Taney Counties

Many areas in southwestern Missouri have experienced rapid population growth and significant increases in development during the past 20 years.  With increases in population and development come corresponding increases in water use.  With few exceptions, groundwater supplies nearly all of the cities, towns, farms, businesses, and rural residents in this region.  The shallow Springfield Plateau aquifer had been used by rural private wells for many years, but lacks the storage and yield capacity to supply large quantities of water to major water users.  The deeper Ozark aquifer historically has filled this role.

Two counties that have experienced large increases in population and development are Stone and Taney.  Both have experienced significant growth that may, at least locally, be stressing the ability of the Ozark aquifer to be the principal water supply source.  Certain parts of these counties, particularly in the area of their mutual border on the north side of Table Rock Lake, have seen particularly large increases in water use. Since September 1987, about 4,400 new water supply wells have been drilled in these two counties.  Many of these are low-yield private domestic wells, but about 74 of them were constructed to supply 70 gallons of water per minute or more.

The department has entered into a planning assistance to states study with the Corps to examine water use trends in Stone and Taney counties, particularly in the parts of the counties where development of all types is placing ever-increasing demands on groundwater resources.  Major water users within the study area have been located and their usage estimated.  Where possible, groundwater-level measurements have been taken from Ozark aquifer wells to determine the current configuration of the water table or potentiometric surface. 

< Back to Agency Reports