(2018) Little Sac River - Watershed Planning (SWAT Model)

Scope

The US Environmental Protection Agency-Region 7 and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) require that management plans for Missouri watersheds be evaluated and updated every five years. These plans are used to guide the funding and implementation of future water quality improvement projects.

The TMDL for bacteria in the Little Sac Watershed was approved in 2006, and the first watershed management plan was completed in 2010.  Six years later, the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks (WCO) is now leading an effort to update the management plan for the Little Sac Watershed.  Part of the planning process is to use a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to evaluate nonpoint and point source contributions of bacteria/E. coli to the river system.  WCO is contracting the Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute (OEWRI) at Missouri State University (MSU) to provide technical expertise and assistance to help complete the SWAT model for the updated plan.   An earlier SWAT model completed during TMDL development prior to 2006 is available to MSU to base the proposed modeling scope and framework for the Little Sac Watershed. 

Objectives

  1. Assess water quality studies and monitoring data for bacteria collected since 2010 for use in modeling purposes;
  2. Develop a new, updated SWAT model for the Little Sac based on new land use, water quality, and management information; and
  3. Advise WCO on how to interpret modeling results, develop management strategies, and evaluate BMP effectiveness to improve water quality in the watershed. 

Partners

  • Watershed Committee of the Ozarks 
  • Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Documents

Funding

Watershed Committee of the Ozarks

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