Anglers balk at Lake Maumelle management plans

About 75 people gathered at West Rock Landing on Lake Maumelle on Thursday to hear Central Arkansas Water officials discuss management and rules changes for Lake Maumelle.

The crowd was interested in two particular topics. One is Central Arkansas Water’s plan to eliminate hydrilla in the lake.

The other is a proposed rule to ban two-stroke outboard motors from the lake starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Raven Lawson, Protection Watershed Manager for Central Arkansas Water, led the meeting. It was mostly cordial. There’s always one mouthy guy and a sidekick that loudly exchange sarcastic stage barbs and interject comments that have nothing to do with the discussion topics. You’ll find these guys in almost every company staff meeting, too. Call them “The Disruptors.”

Lawson deftly skirted these jokers and explained why and how Central Arkansas Water plans to eliminate hydrilla, which she said has life cycle and food chain characteristics that complicate water treatment efforts.

Hydrilla, Lawson explained, is an exotic invasive plant that is native to southern India. It appeared in Lake Maumelle about five years ago. It promotes algae and protozoan growth whose waste suspends high in the water column. Treating drinking water, Lawson said, depends on particulates falling to the bottom.

Hydrilla has nodes from which new branches form, causing the plant to spread. Subjecting hydrilla to three hard freezes causes the nodes to burst, which neutralizes spreading.

To expose the hydrilla to freezing air, Central Arkansas Water intends to reduce the Lake Maumelle water level by a total of 10 feet by Jan. 1, 2023. Rains in late winter and early spring, if they come, will refill the lake by quickly, Lawson said.

Anglers like the hydrilla. Not long ago, anglers derided Lake Maumelle as “The Dead Sea” because its fishing was so poor. It has become a very good fishing lake in the last decade, and anglers credit hydrilla because it provides cover for recently spawned fry. It also provides thermal cover in shallow water in warm weather.

Lawson reminded the audience that Lake Maumelle’s primary function is to provide drinking water and that hydrilla interferes with that mission. Central Arkansas Water appears to be resolute. The audience didn’t like it, but the anglers seemed resigned to the strategy.

On the other hand, the audience rebuffed the twostroke outboard motor ban. We counted 50 two-stroke motors on boats in West Rock’s slips. A great many are

“kicker” motors on sailboats that are seldom used. That’s 50 boaters that will have to buy new motors.

Central Arkansas Water appears willing to compromise. Lawson said she is willing to amend the proposal to delay the ban two-stroke outboard motors made after 2006 to Jan. 1, 2026. The reason, she said, is because emissions standards for two-stroke outboard motors were tightened significantly in 2006. Motors that comply with the standards have a sticker saying so. You can also go online and learn if a motor complies.

Two articulate protesters said that several companies still produce two-stroke outboards, but they are hard to find, and they are as expensive as four-stroke models. Four-stroke models are easier to run and maintain, and they are significantly quieter than two-strokes. Anybody looking for a new motor is buying a four-stroke.

The main difference — the one that concerns Central Arkansas Water — is that twostroke outboards run on a 50:1 fuel/oil mixture that lubricates the pistons, rings and cylinder walls. Yamaha two-stroke motors run on a 100:1 mix. Excess oil is ejected through the exhaust and onto the water.

The protesters said that two-stroke motors are going away. The problem is self-correcting through attrition, so there is no reason to mandate them out of existence.

Also, the protesters said, Lake Maumelle is very small and that there are never more than a few boats on the lake at one time. Boaters use their outboards sparingly, they said, and spend most of their time powered by electric motors.

We agree in principle. Central Arkansas Water did not present any data that suggests that two-stroke motors are polluting the lake. Banning them appears to be a solution in search of a problem.