Project:

The Fox River Ecosystem Development 319 Project is located in northeast Missouri in the northeast part of Scotland County and the northwest part of Clark County. The project encompasses approximately 17,640 acres in Scotland County and 58,490 acres in Clark County. There are approximately 300 landowners in the watershed area. The project began February 1, 2003 and will be completed January 31, 2008. The project is being funded by a grant through the Department of Natural Resources.

Land use in the watershed is estimated to be 47% cropland, 33% woodland, 15% pastureland and 5% other. The 5% includes small communities on the fringes of the watershed area and three public use areas owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
 


Objectives:


The goal of the Fox River Ecosystem Development Project is to protect and improve the quality of water in the watershed area. The six major objectives of the project are;
 

  1. Inform, educate and demonstrate controlling chemical runoff

  2. Inform, educate and demonstrate Best Management Practices for controlling soil erosion (both stream bank and cropland)

  3. Inform, educate and demonstrate proper storage and utilization of animal waste by use of a planned waste management system.

  4. Inform, educate and demonstrate how using existing programs may be used to develop wetland areas.

  5. Inform, educate and demonstrate control of unstable stream banks by using planned riparian corridors.

  6. Inform, educate and demonstrate Best Management Practices for improved wildlife habitat both aquatic and terrestrial.

     

Water Quality Problems:

Identified water quality problems include;

  1. Sediment in stream as listed on 303(d) list indicate no streams in the basin are classified for whole body contact due to turbidity, silty substrates and  poorly  sustained flow.

  2. Loss of riparian corridors Increased stream bank erosion has occured due to loss of riparian corridors in some areas.

  3. Siltation - Siltation has resulted in loss of wildlife habitat both land and aquatic or loss of  recreational value and lowering of water quality in the Fox River River Channel. A head cut in the main channel of the Fox River is contributing to the siltation problem.

  4. Atrazine - Atrazine is a major concern in the Fox River. Although maximun concentration varies from year to year because of total stream flow, the same general pattern occurs each year with the highest atrazine concentration occurring in north Missouri. High levels of atrazine have been detected as a result of some water quality monitoring done on both the Fox River and Little Fox River.

  5. Livestock access to streams -  Most livestock in the area are cow/calf operations with livestock watering in the streams. Five dairy operations in the Fox River drainage area are unpermitted and animal waste is discharged on cropland when open. Two large hog operations are permitted in the state of Iowa just above the Missouri-Iowa state line. One operation distributes waste from 40,000 head of hogs on 900 acres of land. The other operation has 20,000 head of hogs. Both operations use concrete holding tanks for storage.