The Meramec River is one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the United States and its drainage basin covers nearly 4,000 square miles of central and eastern Missouri. The Lower Meramec watershed runs from Sullivan, Missouri, through the southern part of the St. Louis region and enters the Mississippi River near the city of Arnold.
Plan Development and Purpose
In 2010, East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWG) entered into an agreement with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) to develop a nine-element plan for the Lower Meramec Watershed. Completed in 2012, the plan provides provide a framework for managing and improving water quality within this reach of the Lower Meramec.
The watershed is divided into 33 sub-watersheds that drain directly into the Meramec River. The Lower Meramec Watershed plan area specifically covers the sub-watersheds between the city of Pacific and the city of Valley Park, which includes Brush Creek; Fox and LaBarque creeks; Hamilton, Carr, Flat, Forby and Kiefer creeks; and Grand Glaize, Williams and Fishpot creeks.
In general, the watershed management approach takes into account the specific water resource (stream, river, lake) and the surrounding land from which the water drains. It considers how to protect, maintain and restore the natural environment by directing development toward areas which can support a particular type of land use and/or density.
The emphasis of this watershed planning effort is on the public lands and parks associated with the Lower Meramec watershed and its tributaries. Communities can use parks and public lands to reduce costs for storm water management, flood control, transportation and other forms of built infrastructure. By planning and managing urban and rural parks and open space as part of an interconnected system of green space, cities and counties can reduce flood control and storm water management costs, as well as protect biological diversity and water quality while serving as a place for recreation and community well-being.