Beaver Watershed Alliance

WAR EAGLE CREEK (WEC) IS THE LARGEST TRIBUTARY TO BEAVER LAKE, DRINKING WATER SOURCE FOR 550,000 RESIDENTS INNORTHWEST ARKANSAS. SEGMENTS OF WEC ARE LISTED ON THE 303(D) LIST FOR NONATTAINMENT DUE TO TURBIDITY ANDPATHOGENS AND TWENTY-SEVEN SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED (SGCN) OCCUR IN WEC, INCLUDING TWO FEDERALLYPROTECTED SPECIES THE RABBITSFOOT MUSSEL LISTED AS THREATENED AND THE WESTERN FANSHELL THAT IS PROPOSED TO BELISTED AS THREATENED.PRIMARILY, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO RESTORE HABITAT FOR TARGET SPECIES, AS WELL AS PROVIDE BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES FORDRINKING WATER SUPPLIES, WATERSHED FUNCTION, WILDLIFE, OUTDOOR RECREATION, FARMING, AND EDUCATION. BEAVERWATERSHED ALLIANCE IS THE PROJECT LEAD, AND HAVE FORMED A COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ARKANSAS GAME ANDFISH COMMISSION, PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE, PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, NONPROFITS, STATE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, ANDOTHERS TO WORK IN CONCERT TO IMPLEMENT PROJECT DELIVERABLES, INCLUDING DAM AND LOW WATER CROSSING REMOVALS,STREAMBANK RESTORATION, INSTREAM STRUCTURE INSTALLATION, WETLAND CREATION, ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC ACCESS POINTS,MONITORING AND CONDUCTING PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS. PROPAGATION OF SCGN AND LISTED MUSSEL SPECIES WILL BERELEASED INTO THE COMPLETED PROJECT AREA TO ESTABLISH MUSSEL POPULATIONS. PROJECT GOALS WILL ADVANCE LOCAL ANDSTATE STRATEGIC PLANS AND STRENGTHEN LOCAL-LED PARTNERSHIPS.

PRIMARILY, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO REMOVE FOUR LARGE STREAM BARRIERS, RECONNECT 493 MILES OF WATERWAY, RESTORE OVER 3,000 LINEAR FEET OF STREAMBANKS USING NATURAL CHANNEL DESIGN TECHNIQUES, CREATE WETLANDS AND HEALTHY RIPARIAN ZONES, RESTORE HABITAT FOR TARGET SPECIES, AID IN AQUATIC ORGANISM PASSAGE, AS WELL AS PROVIDE BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES FOR DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES, WATERSHED FUNCTION, WILDLIFE AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. TWENTY-SEVEN SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED (SGCN) WILL BENEFIT DIRECTLY FROM THIS PROJECT, AND PROPAGATION OF SCGN (MUSSEL SPECIES) WILL BE RELEASED INTO THE COMPLETED PROJECT AREA TO RE-ESTABLISH MUSSEL POPULATIONS. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS WILL INFORM OVER 20,000 STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HABITAT AND STREAM RESTORATION AND THE CHALLENGES POSED BY STREAM BARRIERS. LONG-TERM CONSERVATION WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH ADVANCING THE BEAVER LAKE WATERSHED PROTECTION STRATEGY, ARKANSAS WATER PLAN, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN AND OTHER STRATEGIC PLANS BY IMPROVING WATER QUALITY AND HABITAT CONNECTIVITY. SCOPE: THIS PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT FOUR STREAM BARRIER REMOVALS AND STREAMBANK RESTORATION ALONG 3,000 LINEAR FEET IN THE WAR EAGLE CREEK WATERSHED, THE LARGEST TRIBUTARY TO BEAVER LAKE. THE FOCUS IS ON TWO CRITICAL SITES: THE HUNTSVILLE DAM SITE AND THE GAR HOLE SITE. LOCATION: WAR EAGLE CREEK WATERSHED SPANS FROM THE BOSTON MOUNTAINS TO BEAVER LAKE, COVERING A PORTION OF THE BEAVER LAKE WATERSHED WHICH EXTENDS OVER 1,192 SQUARE MILES IN BENTON, CARROLL, WASHINGTON, AND MADISON COUNTIES, INCLUDING 17 MUNICIPALITIES. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: BEAVER LAKE, A 28,000-ACRE RESERVOIR, SERVES AS A FLOOD CONTROL, RECREATIONAL SITE, HYDROELECTRIC POWER SOURCE, AND DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR OVER 550,000 PEOPLE. NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT POLLUTION, PRIMARILY FROM STREAM BANK EROSION, UNPAVED ROADS, PASTURELANDS, URBAN RUNOFF, AND STREAM BARRIERS, THREATENS WATER QUALITY. WAR EAGLE CREEK IS A PRIORITY WATERSHED PER THE BEAVER LAKE WATERSHED PROTECTION STRATEGY AND IS ON THE EPA 303(D) LIST FOR AQUATIC LIFE IMPAIRMENT DUE TO LOW DISSOLVED OXYGEN. RESTORATION IS CRUCIAL FOR IMPROVING WATER QUALITY AND HABITAT FOR SPECIES SUCH AS THE FEDERALLY LISTED RABBITSFOOT MUSSEL AND OTHER SPECIES OF CONCERN. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: RIPARIAN ZONE ENHANCEMENT: ESTABLISH OR ENHANCE 3,000 LINEAR FEET OF RIPARIAN ZONES WITH NATIVE VEGETATION. WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: REMOVE STREAM BARRIERS, IMPLEMENT GRADE CONTROL STRUCTURES, AND RESTORE STREAMBANKS TO ENHANCE STREAM FUNCTION AND AQUATIC HABITAT. WATERSHED CONNECTIVITY: RECONNECT 493 MILES OF STREAM BY REMOVING THE HUNTSVILLE DAM AND ITS OVERFLOW STRUCTURES, AND REPLACING THE GAR HOLE LOW WATER CROSSING WITH A SPAN BRIDGE. HABITAT RESTORATION: IMPROVE HABITAT FOR FEDERALLY LISTED AND AT-RISK MUSSELS AND FISH, ENHANCING GENETIC FITNESS AND POPULATION RESILIENCY. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: INFORM OVER 20,000 STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HABITAT AND STREAM RESTORATION AND THE CHALLENGES POSED BY STREAM BARRIERS. LONG-TERM CONSERVATION: CONTRIBUTE TO THE BEAVER LAKE WATERSHED PROTECTION STRATEGY, ARKANSAS WATER PLAN, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN AND OTHER STRATEGIC PLANS BY IMPROVING WATER QUALITY AND HABITAT CONNECTIVITY.

15.631 AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION: PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 2006, S.260 PUBLIC LAW 109-294; FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956, 16 U.S.C. 742A-C, 747E-742J; AND FISH AND WILDLIFE COORDINATION ACT OF 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661 667(E).

FISH HABITAT ENHANCEMENT PROJECT ON BEAVER LAKE AND TRIBUTARY CLIFTY CREEK, ARKANSAS

AT RISK AND LISTED AQUATIC SPECIES, ESPECIALLY FRESHWATER MUSSELS, SUCH AS RABBITSFOOT (T), PURPLE LILLIPUT (ARS), AND WESTERN FANSHELL (ARS) FISH, SUCH AS OZARK SHINER (ARS), AND LONGNOSE DARTER (ARS) AND AMPHIBIANS, SUCH AS OKLAHOMA SALAMANDER (ARS), REQUIRES HIGH QUALITY FLOWING WATER FREE OF EXCESSIVE SEDIMENT, AND NUTRIENTS. THIS RESTORATION FOR RECOVERY STRATEGY (RRS) FOCUSES EFFORTS WITHIN THE BEAVER LAKE PRIORITY WATERSHED, WORKING WITH PARTNERS BEAVER WATERSHED ALLIANCE (BWA), ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION (AGFC), PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE, PRIVATE LANDOWNERS AND OTHERS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THREATS TO THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES AND IMPROVE INSTREAM, RIPARIAN, AND ASSOCIATED HABITATS IN THE WAR EAGLE CREEK SUB WATERSHEDS WHICH CONTAIN ALL PRIORITY SPECIES LISTED ABOVE. WAR EAGLE CREEK CONTAINS A WIDE DIVERSITY OF AQUATIC SPECIES (INCLUDING FEDERALLY LISTED AND AT RISK) AND WAR EAGLE WATERSHED IS THE LARGEST WATERSHED FEEDING INTO BEAVER LAKE, A REGIONAL SOURCE WATER DRINKING SUPPLY FOR OVER FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND ARKANSAS RESIDENTS (1 IN 5 ARKANSANS). STRATEGY COMPONENTS WILL INCLUDE ASSESSMENT, DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, REMOVAL OF A DERELICT DAM AND TWO DEGRADED LOW WATER CROSSINGS TO ALLOW FOR AQUATIC SPECIES PASSAGE, AND RECONNECTION OF THE FLOODPLAIN TO WAR EAGLE CREEK THROUGH RIPARIAN AND STREAM RESTORATION. OVER TWO HUNDRED MILES OF STREAMS WILL BE RECONNECTED THROUGH THE REMOVAL OF INSTREAM STRUCTURES, AND WATER QUALITY WILL IMPROVE THROUGH STABILIZATION OF THE SEGMENT OF CREEK AND STREAMBANKS. THESE IMPROVEMENTS ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND FEASIBLE SUITE OF RECOVERY ACTIONS TO PROMOTE SPECIES SURVIVAL AND RECOVERY AND PROJECT PARTNERS ARE WORKING IN COLLABORATION TO LEVERAGE RESOURCES AND MEET PROJECT GOALS.