Fate of Lake Bella Vista still up in air as assessment winds down

BELLA VISTA — Unlike its calm water, the fate of Lake Bella Vista is far from settled.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in the final stages of its assessment of the earthen dam at the north end of the lake. The assessment stems from severe flooding in April 2011 which resulted in water going over the dam and causing erosion, according to Terri Romine-Ortega with FEMA.

“The most noticeable deficiency is there is not a clay core to the dam and the spillway is not capable of conveying a large storm event,” Ben Peters, Bentonville city engineer, said after the 2011 flood. “Overtopped-water runs over the entire length of the dam and one of the biggest nonos with an earth dam is you don’t let water run over the top.”

The dam is 14 feet tall and 600 feet long, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Bentonville, which owns the lake, requested FEMA’s help to repair the dam in 2008, when spring rain washed out its backside. But after several delays, FEMA officials said an assessment was necessary before money could be allocated.

“On March 5, 2012, FEMA determined that an environmental assessment was required prior to moving forward with the city’s application for FEMA funding,” Romine- Ortega said. “The city hired a consultant (CP&Y) to prepare the environmental assessment.”

At Bentonville’s request, the goal is to determine if restoring or replacing the dam would have “any additional significant adverse environmental impacts or social impacts,” Romine-Ortega said.

Ultimately, FEMA will recommend either an Environmental Impact Statement or a Finding of No Significant Impact. Finding no impact would allow Bentonville to move forward in its application, Romine-Ortega said.

An EIS, meanwhile, would produce an additional report detailing potential impacts of any actions and the alternatives, according to the EPA’s website.

Lake Bella Vista’s earthen dam is nearing its 100th anniversary. Although the dam had major flooding in 2008, 2011 and 2013, no structural repair has been made in recent years, Peters said. However, crews have filled in the washed out cavities.

There are a handful of leaks in the dam on its north side. Peters said in April his department is aware of the leaks and monitoring the dam.

“Earthen dams always seep. We’ve established points on the dam to monitor that nothing is moving,” Peters said. “The water that is coming through the dam is still clear. We’re checking (the dam) every month.”

But Peters says its time to worry when the water seeping through the dam stops being clear. That means sediment is seeping out, he said, which could be pulling soil from within the dam and creating a void.

Despite Bentonville officials’ insistence to replace the dam, an opposition group has emerged. Greg Van Horn of Bentonville is leading the charge to restore Little Sugar Creek to a free-flowing waterway.

Van Horn helped organize Friends of Little Sugar Creek, an advocacy group of more than 300 people he said would rather see the creek return than a dam that’s “been in maintenance mode since the 1920s.”

“Everyone agrees the dam is a hazard and potential liability,” Van Horn said. “Restoring (the creek) to a free-flowing waterway is an asset for the community. A waterway that flows through this park is useful for fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking and relaxing. (There is) all that potential, but a dam denies access to that.”

According to the assessment, returning Little Sugar Creek to a free flowing stream was considered and dismissed.

The assessment states restoring the creek would be “inconsistent with the deed restrictions undertaken when (Bentonville) purchased (the lake) from the Trailblazers. … ( Doing so) would completely eliminate (the lake) as a park amenity … (and) greatly affect the ability of the public to enjoy lake habitats for recreational purposes.”

Van Horn, who believes the lake has outlived its usefulness, says the aforementioned terms don’t exist in the deed. He also says the dam traps silt at the bottom of the lake, which leads to immense algae blooms in the summer, while water in the lake erodes the stream bank. Meanwhile, a city ordinance prevents swimming in all Bentonville- owned lakes.

“( Restoring the creek is) good for the watershed. Dams do tremendous damage to watersheds,” Van Horn said. “( Dams) block the flow of nutrients that go down stream. And those nutrients provide habitats for game and fish and other aquatic life.”

“We’ve never had a public discussion about the alternative,” Van Horn added. “All we want is the chance to debate it, (then) people can make a decision. It’s a topic worth talking about.”

Van Horn has two supporters in his corner: John Van Brahana and Arthur Brown. Van Brahana is a professor emeritus in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas and Brown is a professor in the Biological Sciences Department.

Both wrote letters to FEMA asking for the stream to be restored. Brown wrote “restoration of the stream instead of the reservoir … would be a very positive environmental impact as opposed to continuing a negative impact on this watershed ecosystem.”

Van Brahana argued a similar caset: “it is my strong opinion that … impacts on endangered species living within this karst ecosystem are significantly understated, and are likely misrepresented.”

There are “two federally-listed organisms” — the Ozark cavefish and Ozark crayfish — “known from the springs, wells and caves within several miles of Lake Bella Vista,” he wrote in the letter.

But Bella Vista resident John Blair isn’t convinced. A former project manager with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Blair spent 18 years licensing dams across the country. He wants to see the dam replaced, but not at the expense of the lake.

“My personal bent is the aesthetic appeal,” Blair said. “(Lake Bella Vista) has been the focal point for 100 years. It’s the entry to Bella Vista. For it to be removed would be a travesty.”

The Bella Vista Historical Museum has a similar stance.

“We definitely want to keep the lake as is,” Lucas said. “It represents 100 years of history. It’s the origin of Bella Vista.”