Additional interim risk reduction measures to be implemented for Beaver Dam

LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT - USACE
Published Aug. 26, 2021
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ROGERS, Ark. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District is announcing interim risk reduction measures for Beaver Dam that will begin on Jan. 1, 2022.
          The new measures will allow engineers to lower the water levels behind Beaver Dam more efficiently following a significant rainfall event. Additionally, if conditions allow, the measures will also reduce the amount of time engineers have to regulate the White River at 12 feet near Newport, Arkansas.

These changes are required because of the increased frequency of high-water events the White River Basin has experienced over the past two decades and the growing population downstream of Beaver Dam.

Corps officials want the public to know that the dam is not at risk of imminent catastrophic failure, however, the increase of precipitation has regularly increased the amount of time Beaver Lake stays in flood pool, which increases the risks to the population living downstream of Beaver Dam.

These increased risks were identified during routine periodic inspections and risk assessments of Beaver Dam. Engineers want to ensure any increase of risks to the downstream population are minimized.

The interim risk reduction measures are a series of actions put in place to reduce the risk of a catastrophic event below Beaver Dam. The risk reduction measures are considered interim because they may or may not be part of the long-term solution once the risks are further analyzed and more potential solutions are evaluated.

Beaver Lake is part of a system of lakes on the White River. Engineers started implementing interim risk reduction measures immediately following the 2016 periodic inspection and risk assessment. One of the first measures put in place was the doubling of the minimum flow releases for power generation. This measure allows engineers to lower the lake levels faster and get from flood pool to conservation pool. When the lake has storage in the flood pool, this measure allows engineers to double the minimum flow release, from 950 cubic feet per second to 1,900 c.f.s in most circumstances except when certain high flood conditions exist downstream (when Table Rock is below its pool elevation of 917 feet and the system storage of Beaver, Table Rock and Bull Shoals is less than 50% full).

By implementing these new interim risk reduction measures, Beaver Lake is expected to spend more time near the top of the conservation pool instead of the top of the flood pool, greatly reducing risk to the population downstream.

The lake levels are not expected to change much during the winter months, but engineers expect to see a reduction in the amount of time Beaver Lake is in flood pool during the late spring, summer, and fall.

Because of these changes, the Little Rock District will schedule meetings this fall throughout Northwest Arkansas, Southwest Missouri, and Eastern Arkansas to discuss the Interim Risk Reduction Measures. 

More information about the White River Basin and the Little Rock District can be found on the Internet at www.swl.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/littlerockusace, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usacelittlerock.


Contact
Public Affairs
501-324-5551
ceswl-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 21-088