Lake Taneycomo Watershed Management Plan

State and federal laws guide what can be done on the landscape to protect water quality. Things like farming, fertilizing, pavement, septic systems, and silting/bank deterioration can cause negative effects on the health of the water. We are part of a team with Missouri State University that will be conducting the on-the ground science regarding the health of Lake Taneycomo and how that could be improved. These recommendations, as well as a proposed demonstration project, will be forwarded to the Missouri DNR and — USEPA upon completion and will be called a Watershed Management Plan. Some of the recommendations may be forwarded to policy makers at all levels of government to spur discussions on policy/rule changes that may be required to insure the health of our lake going forward, and how to reverse negative impacts that are present today.

Typically consists of general members of the public, elected officials, riparian property owners, business owners. Not necessarily savvy or formally educated on water sciences but have general concerns/ideas about the lake’s water quality. Helpful for us to understand how proposed best management practices might impact their quality of life along the river and to their community at large. Many times, SAGs include members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), since it is important for the science folks to understand the direction the research is going and to learn along the way.

Typically consists of local/county/state government and academic career employees who are involved and trained/educated in the water sciences. Very comfortable with scientific terminology, methodology and acronyms, and this group would focus on ensuring the scientific methods employed are supportive of the overall mission of the study. Input from the SAG is key, to make sure that their concerns are addressed, (as long as it is within the confines of the project agreement through the state/feds.) Helping the SAG members to learn along the way is key for support and understanding of final recommendations.

Interested in becoming a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group?

The first meeting was held on October 22nd 2020, from 11:30am to 1:00 pm(zoom). Each meeting will last approximately 90 minutes.

There will be approximately 4 additional meetings that will occur over the next year and a half. At these meetings, you will be kept abreast of efforts on the ground by the research team and participating in productive discussions about solutions to the concerns we face. 

Subsequent meetings duration will vary; dependent upon the content that we will be briefed on at that stage.

The next meeting date and time will be posted soon!