Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

The City of Bentonville owns a 600 foot long and 14 foot high dam that stretches across Little Sugar Creek called the Lake Bella Vista dam. The dam is in disrepair and may not even be stable after flood waters topped the dam and eroded a large hole on top of the dam(see attached photo). The City of Bentonville is planning to remove this old dam and then rebuild a new dam. At an early estimated cost of almost 4 million dollars, this would be the largest dam reconstruction project in Arkansas at this time.

Little Sugar Creek could once again be a wonderful float and fishing stream for beginners and advanced paddlers, provided this dam is removed and the stream is restored by establishing the natural riparian balance that existed here for thousands of years before this dam was built. This alternative option is the natural option and represents the best long term solution for this area of the Natural State. Little Sugar Creek is deserving of the name it earned from early Ozark settlers - It's sweet water. Please contact the Mayor of Bentonville and the City Council and let them know that you support free-flowing stream in Bentonville.

Studies have shown that the cost of stream restoration and dam removal is one tenth of the cost of dam reconstruction. Tell the Mayor and City Council to spend the money on schools instead. The Mayor and Council's phone numbers and emails can be found here: http://www.bentonvillear.com/cc_main.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Governor's office says that the Governor generally supports the "Natural Option" in cases like this.

According to this: http://www.bentonvillear.com/docs/admin ... 083011.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , the construction is to be paid for with State and Federal funds specificly earmarked for planning, design, removal of the old dam and construction of the new one. These funds cannot be transfered to other projects, worthwhile or pork barrel.

Michael

Michael, Thank you for your reply. The City would be required to fund at least 12.5% of the cost of removing and then reconstructing the Lake BV dam. That amount, $450,000, could build a wing on a new school . Also, the local taxpayers would pay if the project goes over budget? And, the ongoing maintenance costs for dams and reservoirs are considerably higher than that of a natural stream. The flowing stream alternative will cost the federal state and local taxpayers far less than dam construction and yeild far better opportunities for recreation in our community, which may lead to economic benefits as well.

Sugar Creek is a pretty little creek. I bet there are all kinds of unique inhabitants there.



Perhaps the club could arrange to have a roll session in the lake soon.



Sure makes me want to go for a paddle and swim!

Thank you for posting the pictures. They speak volumes. This lake is not frequently used by anybody. It is silted and shallow, less than 5 feet deep in most places. The algae blooms can cover large portions of the lake at times and fish populations are not good. Benton County has 20 dams almost all were built solely for recreation. We have very few natural, flowing streams left. This is our chance to get a part of one back. This is conservation! Most importantly, Bentonville is the hometown of the Elvis of conservation and savior of the Buffalo River, Dr. Neil Compton.

Thanks for sharing! Best small mouth fishing in Arkansas next to crooked creek.

This is the hole on top of Lake BV dam. The hole about 40' wide and 6' deep. The city tried to repair it before the storm, but the mighty Little Sugar could not be contained.

Flip!

Would love to see the dam taken out. I hope you don't mind, I paraphrased your post in my email to the mayor. It was well said and worth repeating.

I don't mind and appreciate you sending a letter to the mayor. I hope more will send to the mayor and city council too. Dams can always be built, but natural creeks can not.
Building a new 500' or 600' long dam across Little Sugar Creek is ruthless development.
“Nature is already as good as it possibly can be. He who seeks to improve it will spoil it. He who tries to direct it will mislead it and become lost himself.” - unknown

Thank you ACC for all the support for Little Sugar Creek. It is encouraging to hear from so many people who wrote letters to the City in support of the idea of removing this failed dam on Little Sugar Creek and restoring the stream. The City of Bentonville, while begging for a millage increase, has been saying for 4 years that all the money to build this new dam will be coming from a FEMA Grant so the money to build the dam won't come from local taxpayers, just federal and state taxpayers. However, the federal funding isn't appropriated for 2014 and FEMA lost 600 million from sequestration.

With real disasters in Colorado and New Jersey, many believe it is unlikely that FEMA will ever kick down 3 million to re-build a dam for a seldom used "recreational" lake in Bentonville, Arkansas. So, this failed, dangerous and useless dam is being patched with dirt on top again. The City is caught in the flood/repair cycle for this park and dam.

KFSM did this story on the hole in the dam and the closed trail. The City stuck to their story but it is the first time that any pressure has been put on them about their failed dam.
http://5newsonline.com/2013/09/03/hole- ... -repaired/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In Benton County alone, there are 20 dams (Bella Vista Lake Dam is the lowest at 14'). Beaver Lake Dam is not included because the dam is located in Carroll County.
The Ozarks were once a place with an abundance of flowing streams. There are no natural lakes in the Ozarks. Nature didn't make any. Today, there are no free-flowing streams in Benton County. Instead, for recreation purposes, we have reservoirs instead of natural, living, moving streams.

In Bentonville, Dr. Neil Compton's hometown, we have an opportunity to restore a part of our past. This time, we can stop this flood/repair cycle that is expensive, futile and dangerous. We can choose to work with nature instead of against it. We can invest in our natural resource, Little Sugar Creek, instead of investing in a new dam.

Our 20 dams, their heights and the streams they block are:
Norwood Dam, 85' high, Sugar Creek tributary.
Lake Keith Dam, 17' high, Osage Creek tributary.
Guerrero Lake No. 1 Dam, 25' high, Coon Creek tributary.
Lake Atalanta Dam, 43' high, Prairie Creek
Lake Avalon Dam, 72' high, Sturgeon Creek
Jordan Lake Dam, 35' high, Coon Creek
Wetmore Lake Dam, 21' high, McKissic Creek tributary
Guerrero Lake Dam No. 2, 35' high, Coon Creek tributary
Lake Ann Dam, 65' high, Pinion Creek
Bella Vista Lake Dam, 14' high, Little Sugar Creek
Siloam Springs Lake Dam, 20' high, Flint Creek
Lake Windsor Dam, 95' high, Tanyard Creek
Crystal Lake Dam, 50' high, Wolf Creek
Rayburn Dam, 95' high, Little Sugar Creek tributary
Lake Brittany Dam, 87' high, Pinion Hollow tributary
Mountain Brook Dam, 60' high, Jefferson Spring Branch
Harbor Lake Dam, 24' high, Butler Creek tributary
Little Flint Creek Dam, 115' high, Little Flint Creek
Upper Pond Dam, 23' high, Spring Fed ponds
Loch Lomond Dam, 96' high, Sugar Creek tributary

With so many reservoirs in Benton County, why not let Little Sugar Creek flow for recreational purposes and to remind us of our past. Restore the stream. Remove the dam.

Respectfully,
Greg and Jamie Van Horn

Failure mode maintenance is hardly ever a good idea. I wonder what the consequences of a real, total catostrophic failure of the dam would be? Surely that has been considered in the engineering inspections for the proposed demolition and rebuilding to maintain the "no swimming allowed" lagoon?

Michael