Norwood drawdown discussed by JAC
Even as the refilling of Lake Windsor is being completed following its drawdown in the fall and winter, the Bella Vista Property Owners Association Lakes Joint Advisory Committee is considering another drawdown — this time for Norwood, a lake that has not been lowered in the past.
Lakes & Fisheries Superintendent Rick Echols brought up the discussion during the committee’s regular monthly meeting April 10. He said it’s still early and he’s looking into a couple of things first, but he is considering putting forward Lake Norwood for a drawdown beginning this fall, citing a number of concerns.
“There are access issues to the back of the lake, which needs to be dredged,” Echols said. “It would require going through Cooper [Communities, Inc.] property, so we’re going to need to get permission to do that.”
He said when the lake was put in, there was a road bed to access the lake, and crews would need access to that road again.
Echols asserted conditions in Norwood have declined to the point there’s little habitat left in the lake for fish to spawn. He said gravel and silt from the back side of the lake need to be removed, adding most of that area is bordered by undeveloped Cooper property, but there are some individuals who own homes and docks there.
“Usually, if you want the area in front of your dock dredged, it’s usually on you to do it,” he said. “But that lake is getting to the point that not acting to remove material is going to impact the quality of the fishery and the lake itself over time.”
Chairman Matthew Champagne asked when the committee might need to move on the drawdown and Echols answered likely by the June meeting. Champagne also asked Echols if he knew if Lake Norwood has ever been drawn down before and he answered, “No, not since I’ve been here.”
It was established that historically, two of the POA’s lakes have not been considered for a drawdown — Brittany and Norwood. Echols said he would not want to lower Lake Brittany without major renovations involved.
“Norwood may have a little trouble getting the water back, and we’d need to take that into account too before we make a decision,” he said.
Echols said Lake Norwood would need to be lowered by about six feet in order to dredge the impacted areas and make necessary improvements.
One committee member asked if Echols and company would need help installing and removing structures for a potential Norwood drawdown. “Yes, if the lake goes down, absolutely,” he said, pointing out crews put in siphon tubes for the drawdown of Lake Windsor, and those worked pretty well.
The meeting began with Echols reporting that the refilling of Windsor has taken longer than anticipated due to below average precipitation so far this year. As of that day (April 10), he said another couple inches of rainfall would just about bring the lake back to normal pool.
The drawdown began Oct. 16 and Windsor was lowered by approximately four feet at a rate of about three inches per day. The valves were closed on Feb. 19.
During the drawdown, POA crews completed maintenance work at the Windsor spillway and removed a gravel bar near the boat ramp.
Property owners were able to obtain permits from the city and the Architectural Control Committee to work on their docks and seawalls. Individual dredging projects required a permit for common property from the POA.