Two Alternative Approaches to Watershed Protection in the State of Arkansas

Champions for water supply watershed protection in both Central and Northwestern Arkansas, the two largest and fastest growing population regions in the state, each led their communities to develop comprehensive watershed management strategies. Land use zoning is not used at the county level in Arkansas, and property rights are paramount in the state, both factors that challenge application of typical watershed management tools. Both planning efforts therefore relied heavily on stakeholder involvement and the development of watershed-based decision support tools to develop the foundation for management strategies. However, while Central Arkansas is working to implement a plan founded primarily in regulatory change, Northwestern Arkansas has chosen a voluntary adaptive management approach with several sustainable community themes. Both communities' newly developed watershed management frameworks position them well for responding to potential impacts of land use and climate change. This paper will describe and compare the frameworks, highlight how they represent the unique conditions for each community, and share lessons learned for other communities to consider.