BENTONVILLE -- Duncan Stewart likes Beaver Lake just the way it is.
Stewart, who lives near Dallas, has owned property in the Ford Creek Cove area on Beaver Lake for the last 10 years. He said he's seen changes in the area, and he wants to encourage some protection for the lake and the natural environment surrounding it.
Beaver Lake plans
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on an updated master plan and shoreline management plan for Beaver Lake. The proposed plans and other information can be viewed online at http://go.usa.gov/x…. Comments must be submitted by April 13.
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District
"We want to be involved in the decision-making process," he said. "We want to make sure the beauty of the lake is maintained, and the area is not over-developed."
Stewart was among the crowd attending Thursday night's public workshop in Bentonville on a draft master plan and draft master shoreline management plan for Beaver Lake. People gathered in groups around tables to read the proposed plans or stood in front of large maps of the lake to quiz park rangers about different areas. Other work stations had computers that could project detailed maps of areas of the lake to answer property owners' questions.
About 250 people were expected, based on attendance of a similar event in 2016. More than 27,000 postcards and 8,500 emails went out alerting people to the series of workshops, according to Dana Coburn, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Beaver Lake is one of four lakes built on the upper White River basin and managed by the Engineers.
Michael Hurley, chief park ranger at Beaver Lake since 2004, said the workshops are meant to gather input. He said the master plan was last revised in 1976.
Hurley said the Engineers are trying to strike a balance between resource protection and development. The lake is the primary source of drinking water for Northwest Arkansas.
As one part of that balance, he said, the Engineers did a survey of boats on the lake in 2016 with an eye toward current usage and the projected lake capacity. The greatest number of boats counted was on the Labor Day weekend in 2016 when 1,450 boats were observed, according to the study.
That number puts the density at one boat for every 16.8 acres of usable lake surface, according to calculations done for the study. Based on information gathered for the survey, the preferred density of boats on the lake is within a range of 10 to 20 acres per boat. Hurley said the study indicated the lake could handle about 239 more boats than the peak number recorded and remain within the range.
Stewart said he's uncertain about increasing the number of boats on Beaver Lake by any substantial number. He said he's familiar with recreational lakes near Dallas -- Lewisville Lake and Grapevine Lake -- and hopes Beaver Lake can avoid the kind of growth he's seen there.
"Once it's opened up to a lot of development it's almost impossible to shut that down. It's a public lake, and people should be allowed to use it. But we need to balance why people come to Beaver Lake against wide-open access."
Kevin Kula lives in the Larue area, where he has owned property for 22 years. Kula said his area hasn't changed much in the time he's been there. He said he put in a swimming dock when he bought the property and wants to be sure he can have a boat dock there.
"I want to make sure I'm grandfathered in," he said.
Kula said he had read the plans and other documents online but he wanted to ask his questions and make his comments in person.
NW News on 04/01/2018