Forest Management
Central Arkansas Water
Our drinking water’s journey starts at the utility’s source water reservoirs, Lakes Maumelle and Winona, both nestled in the Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock. CAW’s commitment to water quality starts on these forest landscapes and is managed by our Watershed Protection Program (Program). This Program was created following recommendations from the 2007 Lake Maumelle Watershed Management Plan (Plan; Tetra Tech 2007). The Plan provides guidance on how to implement measures throughout the watershed’s 88,000 acres to protect the 8,900-acre Lake Maumelle, which supplies two-thirds of the utility’s daily water demand. The Plan proposes a series of strategies, such as managing the impacts of new development, promoting household best management practices, and maintaining good land management practices, including using prescribed fire and ecological timber thinning as management tools for improving forest health.
For the areas around Lakes Maumelle and Winona, CAW sets forest management goals to improve the health of the watersheds and maintain the quality of drinking water in central Arkansas. When forests are healthy, watersheds are healthy, and each of these watersheds boasts more than 90% forest cover—a figure that drives much of the Program’s activities.
