In addition, the drought we experienced last year prevented nutrients from washing or flushing into the lake denying the waterborne algae their food source and also reducing their numbers.īut don't expect this unusually clear water to last all summer. This clear-water phase will end as newly hatched fish graze the zooplankton numbers down and allow the algal community to rebound. In the case of Table Rock this year, the cool spring likely delayed fish spawning, so the zooplankton have had longer than usual to eat the algae thereby making the water clearer than normal. To take advantage of the sudden increase in food, populations of small crustaceans (zooplankton) explode and eat much of the algae that would cause the water to be murky. Temperature has an effect on the timing of this clear water phase. As the water begins to warm, algae begin to grow faster. Normally there is always a springtime clear-water phase. While water clarity varies somewhat each year, the trend line has shown our lake has been getting clearer.Ī bass stays near the protection of a tree.īut a unique set of circumstances this spring has made the lake unusually clear. Reductions of phosphorous from various sources such as sewage treatment plants, failing septic systems, land disturbance, municipal lawns and large animal operations have taken place due to all our combined efforts. So everyone is asking why is the water so clear this year at the dam and I will try to answer as best I can. Over the last 10 to 15 years, the lake has responded to our efforts to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the lake, especially phosphorous. The higher nutrient concentrations in the arms of the lake allow for the greater algal growth. During a recent boat trip near Cape Fair, my wife and I found the water clarity to be its normal 3 foot range for that location. But in all my years of diving Table Rock Lake, I cannot remember seeing water this clear.įirst, I need to make sure everyone understands, this extremely clear water is in the main body of the lake and near the dam. Over the years, I have dived at many locations in Table Rock Lake and my daughters first experienced diving while we were on family camping trips on the bluffs at the Port of Kimberling looking towards the Kimberling City bridge. Wow! How time flies! I remember completing my deep water certification dive at Table Rock dam going down to around 95 feet if my memory serves me correctly. My PADI card shows my certification date as August 11, 1986. I am a PADI certified Advanced Open Water Diver. Photo courtesy Wes Johnson, Springfield Newsleader
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2010 modified the cost sharing to 75% Federal/25%non-Federal, 100% of which can be in-kind services.David Casaletto, Executive Director, Ozarks Water Watchĭiver enjoys 40'+ visibility in Table Rock.
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Local Interest/Sponsor: Cost-sharing sponsors include the AR Natural Resources Commission, AR Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Waterways Commission, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy.Īuthority: WRDA 86, Section 729 WRDA 2000 established the cost sharing of Section 729 studies at 50 % Federal/50% non-Federal, half of which can be in-kind services and increased the authorization ceiling from $5,000,000 to $15,000,000. Potential study outputs address water resources needs for water supply, flood control, waste water management, navigation, recreation, power generation, and other water resources related needs identified in the comprehensive study. The study will identify water resources needs and opportunities. The basin contains five large multi-purpose reservoirs and one reservoir primarily for flood control over 150 miles of flood control levees along the White River and its tributaries 2 major national wildlife refuges and the largest remaining concentration of seasonally flooded bottomland hardwoods in the Mississippi Valley.
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Location and Description: The White River Basin comprises approximately 28,000 square miles in northeastern Arkansas and southern Missouri.