The Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP), Arvest Bank and city of Siloam Springs hosted the Illinois River Splash at the Siloam Springs Kayak Park on Saturday, July 25.
The event was a free, family-friendly affair with live music, hot dogs, and vendors providing information and selling products.
It was the fourth Illinois River Splash but the first held at the kayak park, according to Delia Haak, IRWP executive director.
The event was held to "build awareness and experience on the Illinois River, but also to emphasize safety on the river."
Previous splash days have been held in Cave Springs and on Lake Fayetteville. Haak said she hopes that the event will continue at the kayak park.
The IRWP was formed in December of 2005 to monitor and affect the water quality of the river. Before the official founding of the organization, the watershed stakeholders agreed that public education is the top priority to improve and protect the water quality of the Illinois River, which encompasses more than 1,700 square miles that is home to more than 250,000 residents, according to the IRWP website irwp.org.
General News on 07/29/2015