H2Ozarks Launches $615,000 Project to Improve Water Quality in the Lake Taneycomo Watershed

Kimberling City, MO – H2Ozarks is launching a $615,000 project to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the Lake Taneycomo Watershed. Over the next three years, the project will host events and provide resources and funding to landowners and local communities to keep nutrients and sediment out of local waterways.

The project will fund a cost-share program to help landowners implement conservation practices, organize volunteer events to remove invasive species and clean up litter, and offer workshops and educational resources to inform residents about practical ways to reduce nonpoint source pollution at home. H2Ozarks invites landowners, residents, volunteers, and local businesses across Southwest Missouri to help support the project.

"This is an exciting opportunity to protect a critical natural resource," said H2Ozarks President and CEO Carin Love. “Lake Taneycomo supplies drinking water, hydropower, and tourism to the region. By coming together as a community to reduce pollution and improve water quality today, we can help Lake Taneycomo continue to provide drinking water, wildlife habitat, and recreation into the future.”

H2Ozarks has been awarded $234,000 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, with the remaining $381,000 contributed by H2Ozarks and partner organizations, including the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Christian and Taney Counties, the City of Rockaway Beach, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Lake Taneycomo watershed faces pressures from nutrient and sediment pollution carried by runoff from farms and neighborhoods, and from eroding streambanks. These pollutants degrade the quality of water for drinking, recreation, and aquatic habitat. To address nonpoint source pollution, the project focuses on four sub-watersheds identified as high-impact areas by the Lake Taneycomo Watershed Management Plan (2024): Upper Bull Creek, Fall Creek, Silver Creek, and Woods Fork.

H2Ozarks encourages community members to learn more about this project and find ways to get involved by visiting their website at https://h2ozarks.org/lake-taneycomo/.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has provided partial funding for this project (G26-NPS-08) under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

About H2Ozarks
H2Ozarks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving water quality throughout the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. Established in 2001, H2Ozarks works collaboratively with communities, landowners, and partners to promote and support sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. Their work empowers long-term water quality improvements through public engagement and science-based strategies.