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Clean water keeps people healthy, supports fish and wildlife,
and provides recreational opportunities. In the Southern Plains
region, our water is polluted by large-scale corporate pig,
chicken, and dairy farms, instream gravel mining, urban run-off,
sewage spills, and wetlands draining and development.
Southern Plains Issues:
Factory Farms
Urban Run-off and Sewage Spills
Waterways
Wetlands
More Resources
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Factory Farms (CAFOs)
Factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), are a major source of water pollution.
- CAFOs in Kansas: The Kansas Chapter works with citizens
and groups to clean up CAFOs, support legislative initiatives,
and provide local, organic meat and produce alternatives. Learn
more at the Kansas Chapter website.
- Factory Farms in Oklahoma: In Oklahoma, large animal
feeding operations have been the target of conservation campaigns
for several years. Originally, the focus was on swine factory
farms operated by big corporations like Seaboard, which were locating
their buildings, leaking waste lagoons and land application fields
in the western part of the state along rivers and in other inappropriate
locations. However, the Oklahoma Chapter's conservation campaigns
later turned attention on the many streams and scenic rivers,
as well as water supply reservoirs, in eastern Oklahoma that are
at risk from large-scale animal feeding operations as well—from
over-application of poultry litter on land and runoff of excess
nutrients, pathogens and wastewater discharges from processing
plants. Since the 1990's, the Chapter has worked successfully
to get more stringent laws and regulations on the books to control
pollution from poultry and swine factory farms and has fought
to get these laws enforced by state and federal agencies. Today,
few new large swine operations are coming in, but the fight against
pollution from poultry operations continues to escalate. Many
of the poultry operations are in Arkansas and Missouri, raising
the issue to the level of an interstate dispute. Learn
more at the Oklahoma Chapter website.
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Urban Run-off and Sewage Spills
Coming soon... if you have comments or suggestions about what you'd
like to see here, let
us know!
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Waterways
- Kansas Waterways: The Kansas Chapter is actively working
on many issues and campaigns, including Atrazine
in Kansas water, Johnson
County Water Quality, Kansas
streams and Dirty Water legislation, the
Missouri River & Flow Control, and Missouri
River management recommendations
- Oklahoma Waterways: In 1998, over 350 stream segments
and lakes were listed on Oklahoma's 303d list of impaired waters.
Over half of our streams were not meeting water quality standards
to protect fish and wildlife. The Oklahom Chapter is working to
ensure that these waters are not taken off the list until they
meet water quality standards and to get clean-up plans put in
place for polluted waters. Another huge threat to Oklahoma streams
is from hydrologic modifications and water use projects. The Chapter
is fighting to permanently stop the "Texas Water Sale," which
would harm Oklahoma streams by withdrawing huge amounts of water
and could involve up to 17 new dams across the southern part of
the state. Another battle is being fought to protect scenic rivers
in central Oklahoma streams such as the Blue River and local springs
from being depleted by groundwater withdrawals. The Chapter is
committed to protecting Oklahoma streams. Learn
more at the Oklahoma Chapter site.
- Texas Water Sentinels program: Working in the basics
of the Bosque and Leon rivers watersheds, the Texas Water Sentinels
are conducting extensive chemical water-quality monitoring to
test for contamination from area CAFOs. Get involved by learning
more at the Sierra Club national site.
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Wetlands
Wetlands are areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or
groundwater sufficient to support vegetation typically adapted for
life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands can be located near
the coast (coastal wetlands) or inland (interior wetlands). Coastal
wetlands include salt intermediat, brackish, and fresh marshes,
tidal inlands, and forested scrub. These areas play a crucial role
in the ecosystem, filtering natural and human-made contaminants,
controlling excessive runoff and erosion, protecting people and
property from storms and floods by providing a buffer between land
and water, and providing essential habitat for wildlife. (source:
Texas
Environmental Almanac)
- South Lawrence Trafficway: The Kansas Chapter is focusing
on the wetlands impact of the South
Lawrence Trafficway.
- Texas Wetlands: Texas has been identified as one of 19
states with significant coastal wetlands. In addition to the ecological
benefits, wetlands benefit the Texas economy through commercial
and sport fishing, hunting, nature tourism, and bird watching.
- Wilson Springs Wetlands: In Arkansas, the Ozark
Headwaters Group is involved with a coalition to protect these
wetlands with Mudwompers
(a Fayetteville watchdog group) and the Audubon Society (read
their talking
points in pdf format).
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More Resources:
- Factory
Farms: Sierra Club national site
- Texas
Water: info on all aspects of water use and abuse in Texas,
at the Lone Star Chapter website
- Wetlands:
Sierra Club national site
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