The Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute (OEWRI) at Missouri State University and the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) are working together on a project to help them understand how increasing urbanization in the Springfield metro area impacts the area’s water quality and how effectively current Low Impact Development (LID) water quality control techniques limit pollution from urban developments.
Due to population growth and increased development in Springfield, areas that were once farmland are now residential subdivisions. These transformed areas may now have more surfaces that are impervious to water, so water may run from these areas faster and more often. Unfortunately, urban runoff like this carries pollutants such as nutrients and sediment that wash off yards, driveways, and streets. This runoff can make its way into Ozark streams and affect Springfield metro’s water quality.
Around the country, new developments are using LID techniques to hold back water during storms and allow it to infiltrate rather than runoff. This action is meant to keep runoff patterns similar to pre-development conditions, decreasing the amount of runoff, nutrients, and sediment eventually going into downstream areas. Two LID techniques include rain gardens and bio-retention basins.
The OEWRI and the JRBP received a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and US Environmental Protection Agency Region VII titled “Sources and Reductions of Storm Water Runoff in the James River Basin.” The purpose of this three-year project is to monitor the effectiveness of LID practices in southwest Missouri by monitoring water runoff of typical residential housing developments for nutrients and sediment before and after implementation of LID practices. The three Christian County subdivisions in the study include two in Nixa and one in Ozark.
Results from the project will give a better understanding of the role urban developments have in supplying nutrients and sediment to Ozark streams and how advancements in LID design can help control that source of pollution.
During the pre-implementation of the project, from May 2007 to May 2008, the OEWRI collected and analyzed 292 water samples from the subdivisions over 12 storm events. Nutrients are being analyzed in the Chemistry Department, and sediment analysis is being performed in the Geography, Geology, and Planning Department. Currently, JRBP is installing LID practices in the subdivisions. The post-implementation monitoring phase will begin next spring.