ROGERS — Dredging Lake Atalanta, a component of the lake renovation project, is expected to begin this summer. But the outcome of tonight's road meeting could make money for the project an issue, city officials said.
"A lot hinges on what happens (tonight)," said Barney Hayes, city parks director. "If the council decides to keep the lake road open, then a decision has to be made on road improvements."
WHAT'S NEXT
Lake Dredging
Lake Atalanta dredging is scheduled to begin in late summer.
• Dredging should take two to three months.
• Hydro-dredging will be used to remove silt from the lake bottom.
• A hydro-dredging machine, 70 feet long and 16 feet wide, can remove about one-third of acre of soil 2 feet deep per day.
• The lake will be open to the public during the project.
• Estimated cost of the project is $1.3 million.
Source: Staff Report
Hayes said he estimated it would cost more than $1 million to design the road and drainage system needed to protect the lake from erosion and protect the road surface.
"Then there's the road construction cost that could run up the cost even more. There's just so much money available for the renovation project. If money is spent building a road, it would pull money away from other lake renovation projects that might actually serve more people," Hayes said.
Most of the people who have attended meetings on the renovation project agree the lake needs to be dredged, although not everyone agrees on how it should be done.
Joe Neal, a retired biologist who lives in Fayetteville, expressed concern with the proposed dredging process at several meetings on the project. He agreed the dredging needs to be done, but said he was concerned with the environmental impact. He said the project should be vetted by outside sources to ensure it was done correctly.
"The dredging project will have a positive impact on the lake," said Dan McDougal, president of Dredge America, who has worked with David Hook, city facilities manager, on the project.
"What's been discussed is hydro-dredging of the lake bottom, rather than mechanic dredging," McDougal said.
Hydro-dredging uses a vacuum to pull silt from the bottom of the lake. Mechanical dredging uses a large mechanical scoop to dig up silt, rocks and other debris from the lake bottom.
"Hydro-dredging is like liposuction. Mechanical dredging is like doing the same surgery with a chain saw," McDougal said.
Silt, rocks and other items are pulled through a tube from the lake bottom and deposited in a draining area, McDougal said.
"The clear water runs back into the lake, but the solid materials settle out. The plan is to return the lake to its original depth and improve the water quality," McDougal said.
Hydro-dredging is done with a hydro pump that floats on the lake and has a long pipe to the shore where the solids will be placed to dry out.
"It won't bother the fish or the fishermen. The machine stirs up the bottom which fish love because it floats scuds and other small creatures which the fish love to eat. The fish won't be near the cutter heads so they remain safe. The only time a fisherman might be disturbed is if we happen to be working right where he likes to fish," McDougal said.
Lake dredging is a positive project for the most part, said Bob Morgan, environmental quality manager of Beaver Lake Water District.
"It helps improve water quality. It also helps restore depth to the lake and can remove chemicals such as phosphorus from the lake." Morgan said.
"However, the dredging must be done correctly or it could disturb dormant phosphorus covered by silt and re-introduce chemicals back into the lake. Where the silt and other debris removed from the lake is placed could also allow chemicals to leach back into the lake over time," Morgan said.
The negative issues are mostly management issues, he said.
"If you have good management practices, dredging shouldn't have any negative aspects," Morgan said.
Before dredging can begin, the city has to get a permit for every aspect of the project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The application for the permit was submitted last year, but has not been granted.
"The permit is still under review," said Laurie Driver, spokeswoman for the corps office in Little Rock.
NW News on 03/25/2014