A coalition of local cities and water supply districts is looking to ebb area communities away from what they see as an unsustainable reliance on groundwater, as they plan for the next 35 years of water needs in one of the fastest developing areas of the state.
A representative from the group Southwest Missouri Water, which represents the Southwest Missouri Joint Municipal Water Utility Commission, spoke to Republic's city council during a lunch session Tuesday this week.
In the coming weeks Republic's council will be asked to consider entering negotiations on the terms of an intergovernmental agreement with Springfield's City Utilities for "future supplemental connection to their water system." This would initiate discussions. The terms of any agreement would be returned to Republic’s City Council for final approval.
Republic and much of the Ozarks rely on ground water pumped from aquifers, and those aquifers are taking longer to replenish themselves. Springfield is one of just a few communities in the Ozarks that mostly receives its water from surface sources, including Stockton Lake.
In January, SWMO Water successfully lobbied the US Army Corps of Engineers to reallocate 93-thousand acre-feet of water stored in Stockton's reservoir, to meet residential and commercial water needs.
Now SWMO Water is doing the work of building the intergovernmental agreements necessary to make future use of that water throughout the region. During their presentation Tuesday, SWMO Water said the contract for the new storage from Stockton and the Army Corps of Engineers will come at a cost of $27 million.