WATER RESOURCES INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT FOR FELSENTHAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Global trends in population growth and climate change indicate that freshwater resources will likely become scarcer and more polluted in the future. The southeastern United States, in particular, is already seeing alterations to the hydrologic cycle and water resources. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is currently conducting Water Resource Inventories and Assessments (WRIA) for their National Wildlife Refuges in the southeast to better manage and prepare for future environmental changes.

The Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the Fish and Wildlife South Arkansas Complex, is located in Southeastern Arkansas near the border of Louisiana. The refuge is home to many different species, over 55,100 acres of freshwater wetlands, and nearly 400 miles of streams and rivers, including the Ouachita and the Saline Rivers which converge in the refuge. A complete water resource inventory was conducted using datasets maintained by federal and state agencies, including USGS, USACE, NOAA, NASA, USFWS, USDA, and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, supplemented by local information provided by Felsenthal NWR. Information on wetlands, rivers, roads, streamgages, facilities with NPDES permits, soils, geology, landuse, infrastructure, climate and groundwater was compiled and summarized for the refuge and a surrounding region of hydrologic influence. Results include spatially referenced maps, tabular databases, and GIS databases which will be used to examine trends in water quality, water quantity, precipitation and temperature in the refuge vicinity.

Using the datasets in the inventory, many current threats to the refuge, including extended duration flooding from the Felsenthal Lock and Dam, and pollutant loading (mercury and nutrients) were identified and recommendations for mitigating these threats were developed. In addition, a SWAT model was used for the region of hydrologic influence to examine other influences on the water resources. The results of the water resources inventory and assessment highlight issues facing Felsenthal now and in the future, and provide a roadmap for other refuges in the southeast.