By Joe Mosby and early fall, the White and Arkansas News Correspondent its tributary North Fork, LITTLE ROCK — A quarter- become nearly stagnant with century effort to secure a little water coming through minimum flow of fish- the two dams. Oxygen levels sustaining water on the White plummet and fish suffer, River neared completion today sometimes resulting in with the Arkansas Game and extensive die-offs. Fish Commission’s approval of But the dams were built with a partnership with the U.S. congressional mandates of Army Corps of Engineers. flood control and electricity The lengthy and detailed generation. Norfork was agreement commits the completed in 1943, Bull commission meeting terms of Shoals in 1951. Fish and Section 132 of the federal recreation were not mentioned 2006 Energy and Water in the acts creating the dams Development Appropriations and the lakes. Act. Southwest Power Modifications have been under Administration is a federal way since 2009 on Norfork dam agency handling the and lake and will now begin electricity output and has on Bull Shoals dam and lake. maintain firm control of lake These include a pipeline levels for decades. The through Norfork dam, agreement to maintain a generator adaptations at Bull minimum flow of water year- Shoals and adjustments to round came only after years parks on the lakes and nearby of negotiation, debate, county roads, since water multiple meetings and will be at slightly higher congressional nudging. levels part of the time. “We went to Washington, met The issue has been a complex with our people in Congress and hotly contested matter and laid in the floor and between more than one federal kicked and hollered about agency, state agencies and minimum flow,” Forrest Wood, private citizens over who a former member of the Game controls the water at Bull and Fish Commission, said Shoals and Norfork lakes, today. which are key components of In other action, the the White River system that commission accepted a $115, lies mostly in Arkansas but 000 grant from the Walton partly in Missouri. Family Foundation for Downstream from dams on the replacing bottomland lakes is some of the nation’s hardwoods and restoring finest trout fishing. Trout wetlands on 4,000 privately came in after the dams were owned acres in Chicot and built and resulting cold Desha counties in southeast water releases wiped out the Arkansas. native fish — primarily bass, Also, the panel gave Edgar crappie, bream and catfish. Colvin of Grant County The federal government agreed permission to erect a to furnish trout as monument, at his expense, at compensation for the lost the agency’s Lee’s Ferry fish. Trout took to the Access on the Saline River in nutrient-rich water, and a Grant County, at the site of major industry sprang from it a Civil War battle between — float fishing for trout. Confederate soldiers and The problem was in periods of Union forces crossing the little rainfall, late summer river in 1863.
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