The city of Bentonville is still waiting and waiting for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send that elusive check for $3 million to completely rebuild its failed and reportedly leaking Lake Bella Vista dam. The crumbling dam and surrounding park, once the original location of Old Bella Vista, were purchased by the city from the Trail Blazers Association for the bargain price of $10 -- the very same land John Cooper Sr. paid approximately $400,000 for in the early 1960s.
The stubborn city of Bentonville refuses to accept that federal funding to rebuild old, useless dams is non-existent. In the 21st century, for both economic and environmental reasons, river restoration funding instead of dam construction funding dominates the landscape.
All sides agree, dams make bad business models. Fiscal conservatives understand re-building old, neglected dams is too expensive for the limited benefits they offer. Dam construction is a huge undertaking and it drains local, state and federal funds from more important projects like schools, roads and bridges. Dams require regular and ongoing maintenance. If neglected, dams end up just like the old Lake Bella Vista dam, dilapidated with flood gates that don't work properly and holes created by flood waters that have ravaged the dam from the 1920s through 2013. Lake Bella Vista dam, in its present condition, is a liability for the city and poses a threat to the community.
Scientifically, we now understand that because dams trap sediment behind them, water quality is degraded as the sediment settles on the muddy bottom and begins to decompose and emit methane bubbles. This decomposition also produces algae blooms on the surface. If you go to Lake Bella Vista, you can see the algae and you can smell the stagnant water.
Perhaps the worst consequence of Lake Bella Vista dam is it denies access to our rightful and natural waterway. Swimming in Lake Bella Vista is prohibited by Bentonville city law. Desperate for water recreation, swimmers and fishermen gather at the upstream end of the park to enjoy the clean flowing water, while the stagnant lake sits empty. When Little Sugar Creek is flowing freely through this park, a living, moving, stream will reconnect with its headwaters after almost a century of being cut off. Soon, small-mouth bass will return to their primitive spawning grounds. Soon, this stream will come back to vibrant life again. Eventually, people will come back to enjoy this water.
Everyone wins when a river is unblocked. Let Little Sugar Creek be free!
Greg Van Horn
Bentonville
Commentary on 06/13/2014