Natural Resources
Physiography
Webster County has an area of 379,981 acres and is situated in the Ozarks Plateau Province. The county can also be divided into more distance plateaus, the Salem Plateau on the northern half and the Springfield Plateau on the southern half. These two plateaus are separated by the northwest-southeast trending Eureka Springs escarpment.
Bedrock in the county is comprised of sedimentary rocks and has a layer of loess, generally less than a foot thick, that overlies the residual soil. Most of the exposed bedrock in the area consists of cherty dolomite and cherty limestone. (USDA, Soil Conservation Service, 1990).
There are several faults in the county, including the Bolivar-Mansfield fault system that crosses the area in a northwest-southeast direction. All faults in the county are considered geologically old and inactive and do not represent a seismic risk.
Several waterways dissect the county, including the James River, the Niangua River, the Pomme de Terre, the Osage Fork of the Gasconade River and Finley Creek. The topography around these waterway and along the Eureka Springs escarpment is more rugged compared to large areas of the county which consist of rolling wooded hills and pastures.
Climate
Springfield Missouri lies in a comparatively flat or very gently rolling tableland atop the crest of the Missouri Ozark Mountain plateau. The average elevation of the city is slightly over 1300 ft above sea level.
As a result of this advantageous location, the city and surrounding territory enjoy what is described as a plateau climate. The winter season in the Ozarks has temperatures considerably milder than in the upland, plain or prairie, and in the summer the ozarks are appreciably cooler.
The city of Springfield also occupies a unique location with regard to natural water drainage. The line separating two major watersheds crosses the north-central part of the city. Drainage north of this line flows north into the Gasconade and Missouri Rivers. To the south of the line, drainage is to the south into the White and Mississippi rivers.
The record temperature range is over 140 degrees with the lowest temperatures below -25 and the highest temperatures above 115 degrees. The growing season extends over a period of 199 days. Agriculture is greatly diversified, with practically every farm product of the temperate zone grown in this area. It is a noted livestock and poultry production and distribution center. The climate permits green pasturage all year long in varying quantity, resulting in ever increasing production for both meat and dairy products.
The air is remarkably free from industrial smoke, and because of the altitude, fog is fairly infrequent with only a few events of radiation or advection fog each year.
Minerals
At present only non-metallic minerals are being produced in Webster County. Lead and zinc have been mined in the past, but have proven to be uneconomical. Only one of six limestone quarries is currently in operation. The product from this quarry is used primarily for highway construction and agline for farming purposes.
Other, more limited prospects for potential economic development involving minerals in Webster County include sand and gravel quarries and dimension stone for construction materials (Thompson, 1986).
Water
All communities in Webster County rely on deep wells for drinking water. The capacity varies from city to city according to the number of wells used and needed.