The recurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) or “CyanoHABs” in freshwater environments in Arkansas has inspired teams of scientists and regulators across multiple disciplines to work together to achieve a broader understanding of the occurrence, impacts and management of HABs on water bodies used for drinking water, agriculture, irrigation, fishing, and recreational purposes.

All water bodies require primary producers, such as phytoplankton and filamentous algae, to make up the base of the food chain. However, concerns arise when water bodies become dominated by one or a few species.

This presentation will cover HABs in Arkansas, including case studies on Lake Hamilton and Lake Fayetteville, and will cover the Harmful Algal Bloom Management Plan for Arkansas, including recommended actions. Our guest speakers are Brie Olsen, Ecologist Coordinator in the Office of Water at the Division of Environmental Quality and Dr. Brian Haggard, Executive Director with the Arkansas Water Resources Center.

This presentation is free and open to the public. We encourage water quality professionals, municipal and county staff, utility managers, design and landscape professionals, science and engineering communities, property managers and landowners to attend.

Registration is free, but required to attend. Please contact info@beaverwatershedalliance.org for more information.

Beaver Watershed Alliance is working with local governments and other nonprofits to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering streams, improve fish habitat, and reduce flooding – an essential service to local communities. Because Beaver Lake supplies 1 in 6 Arkansans (nearly a half million people) with clean drinking water and provides over forty million tourism and recreation dollars for the local economy, the Alliance developed this quarterly speaker series to share the rationale behind investing in watershed protection that will benefit the future of our entire region.