Monitoring Habitat Suitability and Water Quality in Northwest Arkansas Springs

Northwest Arkansas has seen an economic, industrial, and population boom in recent years as a result of expanding businesses, which have created thousands of jobs in the region and the mass migration of employees and construction companies. However, with this growth has come rapid urbanization and the degradation of the natural landscape, specifically the freshwater springs that can be found throughout the region.

These springs are critical habitat centers for native wildlife, home to threatened and endangered fish, and those that have yet to be listed. Zach Moran, Assistant Professor of Fisheries Science at Arkansas Technical University, is working to help monitor these habitats and provide key data that will hopefully inform future development in the region.

(From left to right) Arkansas Tech students Frida Martinez, Brianna Winchester, and Savannah Wise collect water quality data from Elm Spring. (Credit: Zach Moran)

Reshaping the Northwest Arkansas Landscape and Threats to Freshwater Springs

The transformation of the historically rural lands into bustling cities with popular businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, and industry has transformed what was a fairly untouched environment into an expanding urban center.

The unintended consequence of such rapid growth is the loss of biodiversity, declines in water quality, and other environmental degradation.

Runoff from construction sites and outputs from industry contaminate the groundwater and nearby rivers, streams, and springs, making habitats that used to be ideal for native wildlife inhospitable.

Moran explains, “Up there, it’s the most rapidly developing area in Arkansas […]. And that whole Northwest Arkansas area is karst topography–this limestone, Swiss cheese geology. It’s full of water, and the rock up there is very porous. And when it comes to the surface, it creates these really pretty springs,”

Frida Martinez (left) and Brianna Winchester (right) collecting water from Wildcat Creek. (Credit: Zach Moran)

He continues, “And these spring habitats—they are home to an amazing diversity of fish, crayfish, plants, all sorts of really neat aquatic life, and they’re very special little ecosystems. But what is happening is the spring habitats… they are being destroyed in response to all this development.”

Moran recalls a particular spring that was destroyed by construction and damming in order for a business to be built on the spring. While the spring could have been integrated into the design of the building, the ecosystem and the attached creek were destroyed.

“That story is happening over and over and over again,” warns Moran. “And so that is why we’re doing this. We’re just trying to provide some data that can help protect these ecosystems.”

A popular grocery store construction led to the loss of Osage Spring. (Credit: Zach Moran)

Measuring the Impact of Changing Land Use on Northwest Arkansas Springs

Moran is leading a group of researchers who are monitoring the water quality of these springs and identifying the fish that reside there. The project is a continuation of a previous study conducted by Dr. Sue Colvin, which focused on fish assemblage identification and crayfish assemblage identification.

The goal of Moran’s work is to document the current water quality and species concentrations and then document changes as development in the region continues. “It’s a very neat ecosystem, and I’m pretty pumped about being able to study it,” states Moran.

(Left) Least Darter (Etheostoma microperca) and (Right) Sunburst Darter (Etheostoma mihilize). (Credit: Zach Moran)

Discrete sampling is conducted on a quarterly basis using a YSI EXO1 sonde to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and conductivity, which are all key parameters connected to aquatic life. By the end of the study, the 25 springs included will be sampled four times, totaling 100 data points with the sonde.

A total of six HOBO MX801 loggers are also planned to be deployed in springs known to be habitats for threatened and endangered species like the Arkansas Darter/Least Darter, and measure dissolved oxygen and temperature continuously. Data is stored internally in the loggers and then downloaded on a quarterly basis.

Data from these springs are then compared to HOBO logger measurements from a spring where these species have been extirpated.

Frida Martinez (left) and Brianna Winchester (right) collecting water quality samples from Osage Springs. (Credit: Zach Moran)

Using Data to Protect Aquatic Ecosystems

The data from both monitoring efforts are sent to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to inform them when wildlife in the springs is under threat due to poor water quality. In cases where a threatened or endangered species is going to be impacted by the development, the only way to truly protect the lands is by purchasing the spring and the surrounding area.

Still, the AGFC, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, and Arkansas Department of Transportation are working hard to protect these springs, sponsoring the work of researchers like Moran to conserve these critical ecosystems and the species found in them.

The springs without threatened and endangered species are still important to protect as rich hubs of biodiversity. According to Moran, most people understand and appreciate these springs, but there is a need for more public involvement and action to protect these ecosystems.

While it may be hard to see the value in slower or more environmentally conscious development, connection to nature and the value it brings to the public means more than the dollars spent trying to protect these environments.

A Ringed Crayfish (Faxonius neglectus). (Credit: Zach Moran)

Even developers contributing to the loss of these ecosystems see the beauty of the springs, but there is a disconnect between the work that now dominates Northwest Arkansas and the historic springs that have dotted the region for centuries.

Moran’s work helps make this connection. He explains, “You take your family to the park that’s next door to the spring, and your kids get to enjoy playing in the fresh, clean water. They get to see the really cool crayfish and vegetation that grows around there. They get to experience being out in nature.”

He continues, “You can’t quantify that monetarily. It’s more spiritual […]. I can contextualize why these ecosystems are important and the reason why you’re doing this is not only just for one or two dinky little fish, it’s for everything.”

Healing Springs. (Credit: Zach Moran)