DEQ News Release

 

Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 10, 2016

Public Information Meeting Scheduled for December 8th in Marshall to Discuss a Voluntary Watershed-Based Management Plan for the Buffalo River Watershed

NORTH LITTLE ROCK - At the direction of Governor Asa Hutchinson, the Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee (BBRAC) was organized to establish an Arkansas-led approach to identify and address potential issues of concern in the Buffalo River Watershed through the development of a non-regulatory, watershed-based management plan. With funding from an EPA Multipurpose Grant, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) has contracted with FTN Associates, Ltd., to establish a Buffalo River Watershed Management Plan.
ANRC Executive Director Bruce Holland issued the following statement:
It is a pleasure to serve as co-chair of BBRAC with ADEQ Director Becky Keogh, and I look forward to working with our other state Directors to complete this important work on behalf of Arkansas. ANRC is excited to take the lead on the Watershed Management Plan. With our experience we are uniquely positioned to contribute to the first step of BBRAC’s overall goal of sustaining the vitality of the Buffalo River.

FTN, at ANRC’s direction, will conduct a series of meetings, the purpose of which will be to gather public input and to explain the process that will be followed in the development of the plan. The first meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on December 8, 2016, at the Searcy County Civic Center Gym in Marshall, Arkansas (515 Zack Rd.). The meeting will last approximately two hours, and all stakeholders with interests in the Buffalo River Watershed Management Plan are encouraged to attend.

Throughout the next sixteen to eighteen months, ANRC—with input from stakeholders—will develop a voluntary, watershed-based management plan that is designed to help sustain the watershed and its resources. The purpose of the plan is to provide a framework for landowners, communities, and organizations to voluntarily undertake water-quality projects in the watershed and improve the ability to solicit and secure funding and assistance from various government and private sources. There will be several additional public meetings during the development of the plan.

About BBRAC
On September 30, 2016, Governor Hutchinson announced the creation of BBRAC, which is comprised of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, ANRC, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Agriculture Department, and Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Additionally, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas Geographic Information Office have joined as partners. Governor Hutchinson directed BBRAC, among other priorities in its first year, to develop a non-regulatory, watershed-based management plan.

The first meeting of BBRAC is anticipated to occur in late January 2017.

CONTACT:

ADEQ, Kim O’Guinn (oguinn@adeq.state.ar.us or (501) 682.0734)
ANRC, Allen Brown (allen.brown@arkansas.gov or (501) 682.1611)
FTN Associates, Terry Horton (twh@ftn-assoc.com or (501) 225.7779)


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