Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 19, 2026

Natural State Lifestyles LLC, an Arkansas limited liability company doing business as Float NWA ("Float NWA," "we," "us," or "our"), operates the website floatnwa.com and related tools for planning float trips on Northwest Arkansas rivers (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information We Collect

We aim to collect as little personal information as possible.

• Information you provide: If you contact us (e.g., by email), we receive the information you choose to send, such as your name and email address.
• Email alerts & newsletter (optional): If you sign up, we store your email address, which rivers you asked to hear about, which lists you joined, and an unsubscribe token. We also keep a log of which messages we sent you and whether delivery succeeded, so we can diagnose failures and honor unsubscribes. You can unsubscribe from any email using the link in its footer, which removes you from future sends.
• Trip reports, ratings, hazard pins & photos (optional): If you submit one, we store what you send (including any display name you choose) on our servers, along with the approximate location you attach to a map pin. For spam prevention and abuse handling we also record your browser's user-agent string and the coarse country/region/city your connection resolves to. Your IP address is used momentarily to rate-limit submissions and to run a bot check, but it is not stored with your submission. Photos are stripped of embedded metadata (EXIF, XMP, IPTC) when you upload them, so the GPS coordinates, capture time, and device identifiers your phone writes into an image file are removed before the photo is stored or shown to anyone.
• Usage & device data: Like most websites, we may automatically receive standard technical information such as your browser type, device type, general location (city/region level), and pages viewed, via privacy-respecting analytics.
• Local storage on your device: The Service stores certain preferences and cached river-level data locally in your browser (for example, so the map paints instantly on your next visit). This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to us for identification purposes.
• Location data (optional): Features like Float Mode may request access to your device's GPS location to show your position relative to put-ins and take-outs. Your precise GPS position is used on your device to draw your position on the map; we do not store it and it is not sent to our servers. Two exceptions worth stating plainly: (a) if you drop a map pin, the location you choose is submitted with it, because that is the point of a pin; and (b) to label a “drive time from here” chip with a nearby town name, we send rounded coordinates (to roughly the nearest kilometre, never your exact position) to our own server, which asks the OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding service for a city name. We do not log or retain those coordinates. You can deny or revoke location permission at any time in your browser or device settings.

2. How We Use Information

• To provide, operate, and improve the Service.
• To display live river levels, weather, and float-trip information.
• To respond to your questions or requests.
• To understand aggregate usage so we can make the Service better.

3. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates data and functionality from third parties, whose own privacy policies govern their handling of data:

• USGS Water Services: public river gauge and streamflow data.
• Open-Meteo: weather forecast data.
• Google Maps: mapping and directions.
• OpenStreetMap / Nominatim: turns rounded coordinates into a nearby town name (see “Location data” above). Requests are made by our server, not your browser.
• Cloudflare: hosting, content delivery, and bot/abuse protection. Cloudflare provides the coarse country/region/city associated with a connection and processes traffic on our behalf.
• Resend: delivers our newsletter and alert emails.
• Umami: privacy-focused website analytics.
• TikTok: where Float NWA content is shared or embedded, TikTok's platform and APIs may process data subject to TikTok's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties.

4. Cookies & Local Storage

We use browser local storage to cache river data and remember your preferences. We may use minimal, privacy-respecting cookies or similar technologies for basic analytics. You can clear this data at any time through your browser settings, though some features may not work as smoothly afterward.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only:

• With service providers that help us operate the Service (e.g., hosting, analytics);
• To comply with the law, a legal request, or to protect rights and safety;
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify you of any change.

6. Data Retention

We retain information only as long as needed to provide the Service and for legitimate operational or legal reasons. Specifically:

• Email subscriptions: kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. Delivery logs are kept for up to 12 months.
• Published trip reports, ratings, and map pins: kept indefinitely as part of the Service's public record, unless you ask us to remove yours. Submissions we decline are deleted within 90 days.
• Submission metadata (user-agent, coarse country/region/city): kept for up to 12 months for abuse handling, then deleted.
• Photos: kept as long as the report they belong to. Embedded metadata is removed at upload and is never retained.
• Contact messages: kept as long as needed to resolve your question and keep a record of it.
• Analytics: aggregate, non-identifying usage data.
• Locally cached data lives on your device until you clear it.

7. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you, or to opt out of certain processing. To make a request, contact us using the form below and tell us what you would like us to do; we will respond within 30 days. If you are asking us to remove something you posted, it helps to include enough detail for us to find it (the river and roughly when you submitted it). You can unsubscribe from email at any time using the link in any message, and you can control location and storage permissions directly in your browser or device.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us so we can remove it.

9. Safety Disclaimer

Float NWA provides informational data about river conditions. Rivers are dynamic and conditions can change rapidly. Always verify conditions independently and use your own judgment. See our Terms of Service for the full disclaimer.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll revise the "Last updated" date above. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

11. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to make a data request? Send us a message below and we'll get back to you at the email you provide.