Who We Are

Originally commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council in 2009, the Beaver Lake Watershed Protection Strategy is the guiding document for water conservation and watershed stewardship for Beaver Lake. The Strategy is a US EPA accepted 9-Element Plan. The Alliance has adopted the document and facilitated watershed management activities, based on recommendations from the Strategy.

From 2021-2024, the Alliance Technical Committee worked to update the Strategy. In December of 2025, the Beaver Lake Watershed Protection Strategy update was accepted by the US EPA. Partnerships, adaptive management, technical and science-based analysis, implementation of best management practices, education/outreach and monitoring remain key to advancing the Strategy.

Key Findings (2025 Update)

• Sediment is still the key parameter of concern, both for lake water quality and streams. The biggest increases in generated land-derived loadings of sediment are found in the lower reaches of the three forks of the White River and around the western side of the lake, although the overall trends throughout the watershed are for large increases in the locally generated land-derived loads.
• We can expect a wetter, warmer climate. This is a new addition to our thinking.
• Pressure on water quality continues to increase with urban development, suburban and exurban high development (low-density residential development located outside suburbs, cities, and towns yet still connected to an urban center), show to be increasing 16% and 30% respectively.
• The recommended focus areas of work are shifting. Key priority land management areas are mostly concentrated in the Brush Creek, Richland Creek, and War Eagle Creek watersheds.
• Core conservation practices remain as recommendations. New practices have been introduced since the last report including additional unpaved road BMPs, low-tech erosion BMPs, modified ponds, and more emphasis on low water crossing/stream barrier removals. Watershed Success Metrics have also been introduced in the new report to quantify success and set goals.
• The current approach is working. We have achieved progress on several components set forth in the 2012 Strategy. A major accomplishment includes the formation of the watershed council – Beaver Watershed Alliance. Additional accomplishments include sustainable funding from Beaver Water District for Source Water Protection and landscape-scale initiatives including the West Fork Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and PL-566, War Eagle RCP and projects through the Arkansas Dept of Agriculture – Natural Resources Division (319 projects).
• Partnerships have widely expanded, local programming is becoming fine-tuned to align with land use and needs within the watershed and we are better equipped with local data to inform decision making.

Key Watershed Protection Strategy Elements

1. Beaver Watershed Alliance and its current mission
2. Implementation of core conservation practices
3. Continued Education and Outreach
4. Monitoring and Adaptive Management

2012 Findings

2025 Findings

The Protection Strategy serves as an overall guiding document for any group working within water conservation on the Beaver Lake Watershed. In this sense, the document belongs to all 600,000 Arkansans who receive their drinking water from Beaver Lake. Stakeholder groups in nonprofit, environmental science, government, agriculture, and utility services realms are partnering on projects in coordination with the Protection Strategy to improve water quality in Beaver Lake and its watershed.

The Beaver Watershed Alliance has adopted the document for revision and periodic updates. The Protection Strategy will remain “evergreen” in that new and important issues, water quality data, and emerging pollutants will be addressed on a repeating cycle and in a timely manner.