Buffalo River Watershed Alliance
TOM PHILPOTT
Use link above to read article with photos
NWAOnline
By Brenda Blagg
Posted: October 5, 2016 at 1 a.m.
If you think of the Buffalo National River, the image of soaring bluffs rising over free-flowing, pristine water immediately comes to mind.
That's been the case for generations in these Ozark Mountains where the river cuts through rugged wilderness and is so beloved that it was named America's first national river in 1972.
That image, if not the river itself, has been sullied in more recent years amid serious concern for the river's water quality.
The views are as striking as ever beneath those bluffs, enough to draw millions of visitors to the region. Last year, 1.4 million came and the Buffalo remains a major tourism attraction.
Yet, thick ropes of algae, enough to stop a canoe, have been visible in the river.
Presence of the algae suggests high levels of nutrients in the water. Such issues have been among the concerns of the river's advocates, who worry the area's porous karst terrain could be contaminated by nearby development, such as a controversial hog farm near Mount Judea.
Indeed, much of the concern has resulted from the permitting of that industrial hog farm on a nearby tributary to the Buffalo. The permitting prompted public outcry and legal action from those who continue the fight to protect the river.
Of course, environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts have been stirred to action. But this controversy has reached much more deeply into the Arkansas psyche. Last week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he has received as many letters from constituents regarding the Buffalo River as he has for any issue.
"That says something," he said.
Hutchinson made the remark as he named a committee of state agency representatives to create a watershed management plan for the Buffalo.
The intent is to prevent complaints, not just respond to them.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the state departments of Environmental Quality, Health, Parks and Tourism, and Agriculture will be involved. Collectively, they'll make up the Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee and their goal will reportedly be to protect the watershed proactively.
They'll have no new regulatory power over development but can guide development and assist landowners in securing grants to implement protective measures.
The committee is supposed to meet quarterly and provide annual reports to the governor, the first of which will be due Jan. 31, 2018.
So the first reactions to its creation are naturally of the wait-and-see variety, especially from some of those who've been most involved in fighting the hog farm. Those are the people who still provide the most intense eyes on the operation, largely through the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance. The group formed in 2013 to fight C&H Hog Farms.
The state has since hired researchers from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to monitor the hog farm and its surrounding area continuously. Most recently, the state funded a drilling project to detect any leakage from a waste pond. That report is due by the end of the year.
Creation of the committee is at least an acknowledgement by the governor that protection of the river and its watershed is a priority for many Arkansans.
Time will tell how much more this effort to coordinate state agencies will actually mean.
The president of the watershed alliance, Gordon Watkins of Jasper, called the committee's creation a "good step," but he also encouraged public input to the process.
Watkins specifically mentioned the need for limits on nutrient levels. He noted that poultry farmers in the Illinois River watershed must have nutrient management plans to address waste runoff.
In a subsequent statement, the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance went further in its reaction:
"For this to be viewed as more than a public relations initiative, we would expect to see actual good faith steps taken by the governor's office and (Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality) to identify and eliminate the obvious risks to the Buffalo."
The alliance wants the governor's office to add a review of permitting processes, specifically for operations in karst geology where groundwater can flow swiftly.
It mentioned making a state moratorium on medium and large commercial animal feeding operations permanent. And, of course, the organization suggested an initiative to reduce nutrients from all nearby activities from polluting the Buffalo.
Obviously, stakeholder support for the governor's initiative is, at best, cautious.
The governor and this committee of agencies have their work cut out for them -- not just to create a watershed management plan but also to persuade Arkansans that the state really will protect the Buffalo.
Commentary on 10/05/2016
By Lydia Mulvany and Jen Skerritt Bloomberg New
Posted: October 4, 2016 at 2:05 a.m.
Ham, bacon, ribs, pork loins -- if it has to do with pigs, prices are in the doldrums.
Hog futures were the worst investment in commodities recently ended third quarter and in the past year. That's because there are simply too many pigs. They're so numerous these days that slaughterhouses will have to add shifts and operate on Saturdays in November and December to process them all into food, according to Will Sawyer, an Atlanta-based vice president for Rabobank International.
The oversupply comes at a time of tepid export demand. China, which more than doubled U.S. pork purchases in the first half of the year, has now put the brakes on buying. Devaluation of the peso also threatens shipments to Mexico, the destination for 40 percent of U.S. hams. Wholesale prices for pork cuts such as ham and ribs are the lowest for this time of year since 2009. Hedge funds are signaling the meat will probably stay cheap, as speculators cut their bets on a hogs rally in four of the past five weeks.
"We have a black cloud over the market as a whole," Dustin Guy, a broker at PCI Advisory Services Inc. in Waucoma, Iowa, said by phone. "The slaughter numbers have scared people from going long in the market."
Hog futures for December settlement on Friday fell 6.4 percent to 43.98 cents a pound on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 32 percent last quarter. It was the biggest decline in the Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 raw materials, which lost 3.9 percent.
Futures could fall to as low as 40 cents, Guy said. Prices haven't been seen that low since 2002.
Pork output surged 10 percent in August to 2.15 billion pounds, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data released Sept. 22. The trend is expected to continue as weekly figures show that the number of slaughtered animals has consistently climbed in September from a year earlier. Hog supplies typically peak in the fourth quarter, which means even more animals are coming. U.S. production of the meat this year is forecast to be the largest ever.
"We could have not just a record but an obscene record supply," Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale Inc. in McHenry, Ill., said by telephone.
As of Sept. 1, the U.S. hog herd rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier to 70.85 million head, according to a USDA report released Friday. That's the highest ever for the month in data that goes back to 1866. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey expected a gain of 1.2 percent.
Producers expanded after cheap grain made it easier to fatten up pigs -- the average hog weight is almost 211 pounds, about 4 pounds more than the 10-year average. At the same time, there were expectations that demand would stay robust in China, the world's biggest pork-consuming nation, after the country's hog farmers culled herds. While exports in some weeks during April and May exceeded 5,500 tons, they sank below 1,100 tons in mid-September, USDA data show.
The supply glut is a boon for consumers. Wholesale prices for hams, pork bellies, ribs and loins are all at the lowest in seven years for this time of year, and costs in grocery stores are reflecting declines. Pork is leading the way in meat deflation, which is occurring as the cattle, hog and chicken industries expand simultaneously. The USDA cut its forecast for 2016 pork prices Sept. 23, forecasting a drop of as much as 5.5 percent from last year.
Even though pork is cheap, hogs are cheaper, meaning that packers are still making money -- margins have been profitable since July 2015. Earlier this month, margins were $52.20 a head, the highest in at least three years, according to HedgersEdge data.
Information for this article was contributed by Megan Durisin of Bloomberg News.
Business on 10/04/2016
By Mike Masterson
It would be wrong not to commend Gov. Asa Hutchinson for his new plan whereby five state agencies comprising the "Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee" will create a watershed management plan to help Arkansas secure funding for conservation projects within the environmentally fragile Buffalo National River watershed.
The "Beautiful Buffalo" and "action" parts are spot on. Wish it had been a factor four years ago.
Look, I'm for anything meaningful the governor can do to keep our precious national river in God's Country from becoming needlessly contaminated at the expense of tourism and recreation for so many thousands.
But as for yet another political committee, I've discovered a pattern over years as a journalist. When many in high elected office sense dissension and displeasure among the populace on important matters, they form a committee to file reports and hold hearings. Sure hope this latest one with such a pleasant name isn't more of the same ol' politically expedient, do-nothing dodge designed to deflect.
The committee will consist of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the state departments of Environmental Quality (cough), Health, Parks and Tourism, and Agriculture.
I wonder, with widespread frustration over the state wrongheadedly permitting C&H Hog Farms in this sacred watershed, why no Farm Bureau or Pork Producers on the action committee? How can that be when these special interests are so outspoken in defense of the factory and generous politically?
Reporter Emily Walkenhorst writes that Hutchinson said his Beautiful Buffalo Committee, assisted by a $107,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will retain an engineer to help analyze data and develop a plan to protect the Buffalo. I already have a foolproof plan for free. I'll discuss a few paragraphs down.
The Department of Environmental Quality's latest director, Becky Keogh, said the new committee's actions will include public meetings and input from stakeholders. Meetings and input! Wow!
Many Arkansans closely watching how the governor and this state agency deal with the potential pollution of the Buffalo from waste consider themselves the ultimate major stakeholders, as do many thousands of others across America who annually come to spend millions of dollars enjoying the Buffalo.
Hutchinson acknowledges as much when he says he's received as many comments about the Buffalo from constituents as on any other topic. "The Buffalo River is an extraordinary national river that we are blessed to have here in Arkansas," he said.
I'm also strongly assuming when Hutchinson refers to receiving comments about the Buffalo he really means comments about this swine factory the Department of Environmental Quality approved for one Newton County family to set up and operate in the worst possible environmental location in Arkansas.
Keogh reassured prospective swine factories and others this new watershed protection plan won't regulate development. Instead, it will provide a guide for development and, as Walkenhorst wrote, "a catalyst for obtaining additional grants for landowners in the watershed who want to implement protective measures."
Finally, Hutchison's memorandum says his committee will identify projects that can be achieved immediately. Toward that end, I offer a sincere suggestion for one project.
Have this potential environmental and economic catastrophe that neither Hutchinson nor Keogh created (and which Hutchinson's predecessor calls his biggest regret) immediately closed. Then relocate the factory to an environmentally appropriate location. Make the C&H owners whole financially. Then let us, as stewards of such an inspiring spiritual and physical gift, begin vigilantly protecting this beautiful asset that draws up to 1.5 million visitors a year.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
By Emily Walkenhorst
Posted: October 1, 2016 at 3:35 a.m. Updated: October 1, 2016 at 3:35 a.m.
Five state agencies will participate in the creation of a watershed management plan for the Buffalo National River with a goal of helping the state leverage funding for conservation projects in the watershed, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Friday.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the state departments of Environmental Quality, Health, Parks and Tourism, and Agriculture will make up the Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee.
That committee, with the help of a $107,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, will hire an engineer to assist in analyzing data and developing a plan to protect the Buffalo River, Environmental Quality Department Director Becky Keogh said. The process will include public meetings and input from stakeholders.
The watershed protection plan will not regulate development. It will be a guide for development and a catalyst for obtaining additional grants for landowners in the watershed who want to implement protective measures, Keogh said.
The committee also will identify projects that can be done immediately, according to an accompanying memorandum issued by Hutchinson.
The committee will meet quarterly and provide recommendations on actions and annual reports to the governor. The first report will be due Jan. 31, 2018.
A watershed is the area from which materials can drain into a body of water.
Watershed management plans exist for other major bodies of water in Arkansas -- the Illinois River, Beaver Lake and Lake Maumelle, for example -- and have been developed by a variety of groups. In Pulaski County, aspects of the Lake Maumelle watershed management plan became regulatory after the Quorum Court adopted them into a zoning code for the portion of the watershed that was in the county.
"The Buffalo River is an extraordinary national river that we are blessed to have here in Arkansas," Hutchinson said Friday morning at a news conference.
The governor said the formation of a plan would be a proactive measure to protect the Buffalo and prevent complaints, not just respond to them. He said he's received as many letters from constituents regarding the Buffalo River as he has for any other issue.
"That says something," Hutchinson said.
Gordon Watkins, a Jasper resident and president of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, said the creation of the committee was "a good step."
Watkins said he hopes the group will consider and use public input, but he was given "a little bit of pause" to find out the watershed protection plan would not be a regulatory document.
Watkins said he'd like to see limits on nutrient levels in the river, such as those that exist in the Illinois River watershed, where poultry farmers are required by law to have nutrient management plans.
Watkins said he'd also like to see the karst terrain near the Buffalo factored in when the Environmental Quality Department considers permit applications in the region. The department and opponents of a large industrial hog farm in the watershed have been at odds over whether the land where C&H Hog Farms was permitted is karst -- a porous landscape with caves, springs and aquifers.
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance was formed in 2013 to oppose the operation of C&H, and other groups and private citizens across Arkansas have voiced concern about the potential of a hog farm to pollute the Buffalo via open manure ponds.
They've raised concerns in 2016 about pollution levels in some tributaries of the river and about a study conducted in 2015 that showed higher-than-expected moisture levels below one of the manure ponds.
Keogh said the Buffalo River meets the standards for an Extraordinary Resource Water, which the EPA defines as a body "characterized by scenic beauty, aesthetics, scientific values, broad scope recreation potential and intangible social values." A few dozen bodies of water in Arkansas are considered Extraordinary Resource Waters.
Hutchinson noted Friday that the state has hired researchers from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to continuously monitor the hog farm and its surrounding area. The state also recently funded a drilling project to detect whether one of the manure ponds had been leaking. The project wrapped up Monday, and a report is expected by the end of the year, Keogh said Friday.
In 1972, 135 miles of the 150-mile Buffalo River became the country's first national river at the urging of U.S. Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt and U.S. Sens. J. William Fulbright and John McClellan, all of Arkansas. Some area residents objected to selling land to the federal government and were wary of the presence of a national park.
Since early 2013, many people across Arkansas, including some watershed residents, have objected to the permitting of C&H Hog Farms on one of the river's tributaries.
C&H, near Mount Judea in Newton County, sits on Big Creek about 6 miles from where it converges with the Buffalo River. It is the only federally classified large hog farm in the river's watershed and is permitted to house up to 6,000 piglets and 2,503 sows.
The Buffalo River had 1.46 million visitors last year, the third-highest total since it became a national river and the highest since a record count of 1.55 million in 2009.
Metro on 10/01/2016
Youtube video of Governor's press conference.
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance Inc.(BRWA) recognizes the proposals announced by the Governor’s Office as a positive first step for the Buffalo National River. We appreciate that the Governor’s office is acknowledging that there are serious issues affecting the water quality and health of this Arkansas treasure. For this to be viewed as more than a public relations initiative, we would expect to see actual good faith steps taken by the Governor’s Office and ADEQ to identify and eliminate the obvious risks to the Buffalo. Such steps would demonstrate genuine sincerity towards the river’s interests that would immediately bind stakeholders to the Governor’s efforts. BRWA as a stakeholder has not been solicited for input to this proposal, though we are pleased to be considered for involvement and we will have more to say as we learn more about the details. An additional strong step that the Governor’s office could include in their program or run parallel to it, would be to initiate a review of the permitting processes where watersheds high in geologic karst such as the Buffalo that result in swift groundwater flows, receive appropriate additional scrutiny before a permit is granted. The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) would be happy to participate in finding common ground that would address the best interests of the watershed which would in turn ensure a robust tourism economy in the river’s gateway communities for years to come. Such a review should consider making the moratorium on medium and large CAFOs permanent. Finally, a non-point source initiative on reducing nutrients similar to that in the Illinois river watershed is highly appropriate for an extraordinary resource water such as the Buffalo National River. Such a focus would be strongly supported by BRWA as stakeholder.
KUAF Public Radio
Buffalo River Grandmothers Appeal Industrial Swine Waste Permit
by Jacqueline Froelich September 28, 2016
Three grandmothers are appealing a new wastewater permit issued by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for a controversial industrial swine breeding facility on the Buffalo National River Watershed. Listen here
State contractors have wrapped up their drilling project to test for hog manure leakage at C&H Hog Farms near the Buffalo National River, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Kelly Robinson said Tuesday.
Harbor Environmental of Little Rock and its subcontractor began drilling Sept. 21 at C&H.
Environmental Quality Department Director Becky Keogh said she visited the site Sept. 21 to make sure the project was running smoothly and that C&H's day-to-day operations were not interrupted.
She told the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission on Friday that the project appeared to be making good progress and the site's operations appeared to be unaffected. Keogh said she received daily reports on the project's progress.
After the sampling is done, Keogh said, it could take six weeks to get the lab-test results. A final report on the project should be completed no later than January, she said.
The department hired Harbor Environmental for $75,000 to design the project, and Harbor hired Cascade Drilling of Memphis as a subcontractor to carry out the drilling.
The research was requested earlier this year by opponents of the hog farm after they learned of research done in 2015 that showed what they said was an unexpectedly high amount of moisture beneath one of the manure ponds.
Big Creek Research and Extension Team researchers disagreed on whether drilling was necessary, arguing that any leak would have been detected at other spots the team is monitoring. The team works out of the University of Arkansas' Agriculture Division and was formed by state officials after an outcry in early 2013 over the state issuance of a permit to C&H in late 2012.
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, which opposes C&H's permit, sued the Environmental Quality Department in August, seeking either to allow its own hydrogeology expert to oversee drilling or to disallow the two members of the Big Creek Research and Extension Team whom the department had permitted to oversee it. The department settled with the group earlier this month, allowing only Tai Hubbard of Hydrogeology Inc., who was already allowed as an independent observer to oversee the drilling, to monitor the project.
The Buffalo River, the first national river, had 1.46 million visitors last year, the third-highest total since it became a national river in 1972 and the highest since a record count of 1.55 million was set in 2009.
State Desk on 09/28/2016
September 28, 2016
What does it take to get our attention in this cluttered world? Usually it’s something that hits close to home, such as outsized transmission lines proposing to march across our Ozark landscape like a scar.
More often, though, the issues that end up impacting us the most aren’t so obvious.
The threat of a degraded and spoiled Buffalo National River is something that captures the attention of those who prize having one of America’s last free-flowing rivers right in our backyard. First we learned that there were people at ADEQ who aided and abetted special interests and a multinational corporation in sneaking a factory hog facility onto property along a major tributary to the river. This turned out to be merely the top layer in a complex issue that has been unfolding right here in Carroll County, as well as all over the United States, for decades.
It’s hard to ignore oil spills and other sudden disasters. The insidious pollution of waterways often happens incrementally, making it harder to prove and fight. The same can be said of the shift in American agriculture to an industrial model of raising animals. First it was poultry, then hogs. Those who believe cattle ranching is still a safe alternative are just beginning to feel the effects of markets being quietly closed off.
Some say it started in the 1970s, when a chicken farmer in Springdale figured out how to increase efficiency and profits by taking over all the elements of the supply chain. At the outset, contract growers got a fair shake, but over time the pressure to increase profits has resulted in squeezing growers’ returns while hiking prices for consumers.
None of this is new. Corporate greed has a long history. The East India Company has been called the “original corporate raider.” Thomas Jefferson warned us that giant corporations were the greatest threat to a democracy.
Corporations exist to make money. Despite public relations campaigns and contributions to “worthy” causes, corporate entities do not exist to be good neighbors or good citizens. They exist to make money for their shareholders, who will then reward leadership with astronomical compensations packages. This creates tremendous incentive to throw money at politicians willing to protect and support their business model.
Have you heard even one elected or appointed representative speak out about the issue of rising rural poverty? When questioned about the plight of contract poultry growers, Congressman Steve Womack refused to even acknowledge that there might be a problem. The powerful interests that steer contributions his way have assured him that all is well. Ditto Boozman, Bryan King and most others.
Tyson was recently named the #1 producer of manure in the U.S. JBS, who bought out Cargill’s pork division, is #2. Concentrating animals means concentrating waste in volumes far greater than can be safely used as fertilizer, but since the corporate model establishes that waste disposal is the job of the grower, the biggest problem is left to the weakest link. Is it any wonder that nonpoint source runoff (or seep down) is now wreaking havoc with our water resources? People and industries can lie. Rivers don’t.
At one public hearing, an industry supporter scolded concerned citizens for opposing the presence of a 6500 head hog CAFO in the Buffalo River watershed. We were told that we needed “to share the river.”
The result of such “sharing” is now being reflected in breaking news about harmful algae blooms that render reservoirs toxic. Excess nutrients spur algae growth now clogging waterways all over our country, suffocating fish and mussels, and choking off recreational usage. Not all at once, but incrementally and relentlessly.
Dr. John Ikerd, a former extension agent, has been speaking out about the threats to our resources, including our farming communities, for many years. He makes a powerful case for the need for grassroots efforts that spur the creation of local ordinances to protect our communities and our environment. He will speak at the Fayetteville Public Library on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Please consider attending this free program.
What we don’t know is costing us all.
Lin Wellford
Arkansasonline
Health of our waters The grades are in By Mike Masterson If you didn't visit the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance website last week and see the enormous infestation of algae blooming along a section of the country's first national river, the pictures are still there as proof of the muck stretching from Gilbert to South Maumee. This section of the Buffalo has been a scenic and popular float that attracts thousands of tourists and the more than $50 million they leave behind annually. Here's how Carol Bitting, one of the photographers, described her experience: "This stretch is 11½ miles. This first photo actually shows gravel, but at one point I mentioned I hadn't seen a rock or gravel for miles except along the shoreline. "There were places the smell was musty. I was quick to move on out. Most places, this algae is several feet thick. At one place I saw an algae tower 4 feet deep jutting out of the water. ... Ninety percent of our float looked like this. Fish swim along the top or through it. I can't imagine what they do for oxygen at night. "We at times found ourselves with only a few feet of opening to paddle through. This algae will bring your canoe to a stop. I'm embarrassed our state is exhibiting so much ignorance." The truth is Mrs. Bitting is far from the only one who sees the serious problems our state has with properly monitoring water quality in all its creeks and rivers. Think I'm exaggerating? Read the latest investigative report from the Izaak Walton League of America. The respected organization was formed in 1922 to protect and defend water, soil, air, woods and wildlife in America. Among other findings in its nationwide examination of water quality, the league gave our state and its performance in monitoring the health of rivers and creeks an overall D+. The fundamental responsibility for achieving this mission under the Clean Water Act lies with our Department of Environmental Quality (cough). Here's just a portion of what the investigation discovered. See it all at tinyurl.com/gs5sv5q. While our state reports it tests the quality in 11 percent of our 120,000 miles of streams and rivers, the league calculated that the number is actually 3 percent. In order to assess water quality, Arkansas needs to significantly increase the number of permanent monitoring stations where data is collected annually. That means increasing from the present 150 such stations to 4,892, the report said. The present state of affairs also means most Arkansas streams go untested altogether and "call into question whether these waters meet basic water quality standards," the league said. Arkansas' report claiming 55 percent of our streams reportedly test clean smells downright "fishy," said the league. It found not only does Arkansas have comparatively weak water quality standards and woefully inadequate testing sites, but is are guilty of using out-of-date information in reports. The largest number of pollutants discovered in our tested streams are from nutrients/sediment (phosphorus from agricultural waste and fertilizer runoff cause algae blooms), salts, toxic metals, bacteria and lead. "Arkansas relies on water quality data that is up to six years old," the report said, "and presents the information in biennial reports to the U.S. EPA as if it were current. Pollution spills can cause fish kills in just a few days--or just a few hours--and rapid development brings new threats to water quality every year. Arkansas residents cannot trust the safety of their waterways to out of date information." For overall water quality standards, the Walton League investigators award Arkansas a pitiful D+. Here's why: "When a state identifies 'impaired' waters, it is comparing monitoring results with standards the state sets for how clean public waters need to be for uses such as fishing or swimming. If water quality standards are weak, it's easy to meet them. "Arkansas has strong standards for pH. However, the state's standards for nutrient pollution--the greatest threat to the health of America's waterways today--are weak. In fact, Arkansas only has narrative standards for total nitrogen and total phosphorus, not numeric standards. The state's standards for bacteria are weak compared with U.S. EPA's minimum guidelines for safe human contact, and its dissolved oxygen standards are weak as well." Shazam! What a coincidence. Readers may recall from the 10,000 or so columns I've written about the controversial hog factory at Mount Judea that the primary concern of those who care about preserving the cleanliness of our Buffalo River involve these very issues. I'm speaking of the possibility of pollution from nutrient overload generated by the daily raw waste from 6,500 hogs at the swine factory our Department of Environmental Quality wrongheadedly permitted into the river's environmentally fragile watershed, along with elevated E. coli bacteria counts from animal waste and low dissolved oxygen levels vital to aquatic life. We can do so much better. ------------v------------ Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com. Editorial on 09/25/2016
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