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White River Basin Study

What is the White River Basin Study

The White River Basin Section 729 Watershed Study is a collaborative effort between the USACE and Arkansas State University (A-State) of Jonesboro (Sponsor), and Arkansas and Missouri State water resource agencies.

The overarching goal and objective of the Study is to provide a comprehensive water resource management strategy for the White River Basin. This strategy is intended to provide sustainable water resource management while taking into consideration flood risk management, environmental protection, water supply, hydropower generation, and agricultural practices.

The Study will focus on five primary areas:

  • System Operations: Reservoir operations (departure from original design standards, current and future opportunities, etc.).
  • Flood Risk Management: Including but not limited to categorizing flooding (past vs present); storage reallocation impacts to FRM (water supply, hydropower, FRM, ecosystem); land use changes (encroachments/development, population shifts); impacts/changes due to reservoir operations; climate variability; FRM economics; aging infrastructure; hydropower impacts.
  • Hydropower Generation: Including but not limited to negative impacts (ecosystem {dissolved oxygen, temperatures}) and positive impacts (economic benefits, ecosystem {cold water source}); impacts due to changes in marketing plan; aging infrastructure.
  • Water Supply: Including but not limited to water quality, current and future M&I water storage, groundwater, aquifers.
  • Ecosystem: Including but not limited to ecological impacts (cold water fisheries, warm water fisheries), environmental flows (cold water fish), invasive species, Green Tree Reservoirs.

Watershed studies are not project implementation documents. The level of detail in a watershed study is adequate for making watershed-level resource assessments and recommendations. If specific USACE projects (reservoirs) are identified as needing further analyses (i.e., operational changes), the use of other existing USACE authorities (for example, flood damage reduction or ecosystem restoration) will be required. This is where additional detailed engineering and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation will take place. USACE envisions implementing the relevant study findings through collaborative stakeholder involvement and, if necessary, making water control manual updates following USACE and NEPA procedures. The Study will provide the scientific data analyses and interpretation that are necessary for sound engineering decisions required when seeking reservoir operation changes.

The Study is anticipated to last 5 years and approximately $5M and will be cost-shared at 75% Federal, 25% Sponsor. Once the Study concludes and operational changes are sought, depending on the number of changes and at which reservoir(s), the timeline can range anywhere from 2-5 years and cost an additional $2M-$4M (100% Federal).
 

Why conduct the study?

Significant flooding in the White River Basin has occurred nearly annually since 2008. Cumulative impacts to Arkansas and Missouri are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Over the past 70 years, the demographics of the White River Basin have changed substantially. Cities and towns located along the White River and its tributaries in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas (the northern half of the Basin) have experienced 500 percent growth and are in need of a long-term, sustainable water supply. Conversely, the areas of the southern half of the basin (agriculturally dependent) have been experiencing a declining population and increased poverty.
 

What is a Watershed Study?

Section 729 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, as amended, authorizes the US Army Corps of Engineers to study water resources on a watershed level. Watershed assessments are planning initiatives that have a multi-purpose and multi-objective scope and are designed to address integrated water resources management. 

watershed study graphic

The outcome of a watershed assessment will generally be a Watershed Management Plan. The Watershed Management Plan may identify further Corps studies or implementation projects, or it may highlight actions that can be implemented by others for the benefit of the watershed.