AWWA ACE54441

For many communities, watershed management is a new concept. It transcends property lines, city and county limits, government jurisdictions, and most boundaries of traditional experience, interest or knowledge. The North Fork of Mark Twain Lake is the source of supply for the Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission (CCWWC), purveyor of potable water to 16 rural water districts and communities in northeast Missouri. This watershed covers 626 square miles. Due to the size of the watershed, the CCWWC project is addressing only the North Fork of the Salt River. Since there are many formal efforts in place, the North Fork Project is concentrating on information/education outreach leading to coordinating efforts and maximizing impacts of the projects at work in the area. This paper discusses the efforts made to achieve the program objectives of: providing information about water quality issues; developing resources to address water quality issues and requirements that will result in community-based efforts to plan and manage watersheds; and, promoting relationships and networks among local leaders, agricultural producers, landowners, and others to foster watershed management programs beyond the life of the project.