Here is the article that I wrote which was also in the Times Record yesterday.
Questions about proposed Lee Creek dam remain unanswered
Corps of Engineers to hold meetings about environmental impacts
By Debbie Doss
On October 26th and 27th the Little Rock District Corp of Engineers will hold public meetings to look at the Environmental Impact Study of Pine Mountain Dam on Lee Creek, in Crawford County. These meetings are extremely important as they will deal with alternative water supplies for the area and because developers in Van Buren are still single mindedly pursuing a large dam on this pristine mountain stream in Northwest Arkansas even though Fort Smith ruled out Lee Creek as a water supply several years ago.
After Fort Smith ruled out Lee Creek as a water supply, River Valley Regional Water District sued to separate itself from Fort Smith and began its own quest to dam the stream. The District lobbied to change state regulations which protect all Extraordinary Resource Waters (ERWs). These streams are our most important waters for fishing and outdoor recreation. Collectively, they provide vital habitat for the state’s most rare and endangered wildlife and their economic value for tourism and recreation is worth millions to the state’s economy. Yet, the Dam’s promoters seem undeterred by the potential loss of these values.
Before a dam can be built, the ERW designation must be removed from Lee Creek and according to new regulations lifting the designation will require two conditions. They have attempted to meet the first by getting the Corp to state that “the sole purpose for the funding and construction of the reservoir is to provide a domestic water supply.” Now they must satisfy the second condition which is to show that there are no feasible alternatives to constructing the reservoir in order to meet their domestic water needs.
Apart from vague answers to press inquiries, District officials have provided little in the way of information about their water needs or feasible alternatives. One official’s answer was simply “We’ve looked at it and we need it.” However, without any real information, it remains unclear exactly what they’ve “looked at.”
There are several questions remaining that District officials should answer before moving forward. What are the real water needs of Crawford and Sebastian Counties? Why doesn’t the population growth that River Valley claims for the area match US Census numbers? What other alternatives have been seriously considered? Why is working with Fort Smith still not the best option?
Fortunately, some of the answers are readily available, if not directly from the District.
First, they have claimed that the region will be short of water by 2018 and cited a study they commissioned which included statements about “unprecedented growth in the past several years.” While this may be a true statement about some parts of NW Arkansas, it is not true for the region served by the District. Census Bureau records from the last 10 years show a combined annual compound growth rate for both Crawford and Sebastian Counties of 1.1%, hardly what one would consider unprecedented. Furthermore, if we look at this growth rate combined with the expansion of Lake Fort Smith, we find that the region will have an ample supply of water until the year 2050, which is in line with estimates made by the City of Fort Smith.
It is important to note that Fort Smith listed at least 14 other alternatives for water supplies before deciding on the Lake Fort Smith expansion, which is capable of further expansion should water needs increase after the year 2050. If Crawford and Sebastian Counties do one day require a new drinking water source or just want an independent source, a much better alternative exists than damming valuable free flowing streams.
Just this year, the City of Dardanelle accepted a bid for slightly more than 2 million dollars for the construction of a 5 million gallon per day horizontal collector well. Described by US EPA as the most environmentally sound water intake system available, it will be the first well of its kind in Arkansas, designed to provide a domestic water supply from the Arkansas River aquifer. The well does not take water directly from the river but from the aquifer beneath it and does not require a permit from the Corp of Engineers – in addition to costing much less than any other alternative considered. Dardanelle city officials expect the well to be operational in 18 months.
Conversely, the dam on Lee Creek, if it is built, will be environmentally destructive and is projected to cost over 250 million dollars. It will take many years to study and to build even without the massive costs in time and money of the litigation which is sure to follow if the dam is ever recommended as an option in the first place.
With such questions unanswered and alternatives unexplored, it’s imperative that the citizens of Arkansas attend these meetings and voice their concerns over this project. Too much is at stake to let it go unquestioned.
The October 26th meeting will be from 6pm to 8pm at the Concord Baptist Church in Alma and the October 27th meeting will be held at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks’ Carl Totemier Center in Fayetteville.
Debbie Doss is an active board member of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, Arkansas Canoe Club, and Arkansas Conservation Coalition. She can be reached at
AOODeditor@yahoo.com for more information.
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I plan to be there tonight.
:shock: