Bond Announces New Urban Water Quality Improvement Project in Southwest Missouri
U.S. Senator Kit Bond today was joined by U.S. Senator Jim Talent, local officials and environmental and water quality advocates to announce a critical new water quality project in Springfield. Today's project will be the first urban project to come out of the Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) Bond kicked-off two years ago.
"We cannot afford not to protect our water resources," said Bond. "We all have a role: federal, state and local government, farmers, sportsmen, and homeowners. That is why Senator Talent and I have worked to bring the Water Quality Improvement Project to the area."
Since fiscal year 2005, Bond and Talent secured $5 million for southwest Missouri water quality projects. WQIP is a partnership to improve and protect water quality while enhancing economic development for municipalities, agriculture and tourism. To date, WQIP has completed a number of projects that focused on agricultural land use and better management practices throughout southwest Missouri.
The project announced today will focus on sources and reduction of urban non-point source pollution in the Upper White River Basin. Bond thanked the Environmental Resources Coalition, Green Circle Development, the James River Basin Partnership, and the Upper White River Basin Foundation for their hard work in making the project a reality.
Bond stressed that there are a number of issues that affect our water resources. While population growth, construction, tourism, agriculture all contribute to the booming regional economy made possible by the unique resources in southwest Missouri, the growth also taxes the quality and even the quantity of our water resources.
Bond pointed out that the ongoing drought has stressed water resources further. From September of 2005 to September of 2006, rainfall was 9 inches below normal. There were more 90 degree days in October than September, which has only happened once since 1963. Water quality is also affected by non-point source runoff from parking lots, gardens, and lawns, which deliver used motor oil, pet waste and fertilizer to our water, said Bond.
Bond praised local officials and advocates for their ideas to help reduce and retain storm water through conservation practices such as detention ponds and basins, mulching, top soil, tree planting and porous pavement.
"It is great to see citizens in southwest Missouri taking the responsibility and the initiative to prevent and resolve water quality degradation. This project is the first to focus on an urban area, and specifically on the problem of urban storm water runoff," said Bond.
http://bond.senate.gov/press_section/record.cfm?id=267012