Little Rock District

Ozark Lake is a major unit in the multiple-purpose plan of development of the Arkansas River and tributaries, known as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Hydroelectric power generation, navigation, recreation, water supply, bank stabilization, and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources are authorized project purposes.

Ozark Lake covers 10,600 acres of water area at Mean Sea Level (MSL) elevation 372.0 feet. A land area of 6,349 acres surrounds the lake and extends around the shoreline for a distance of 173 miles.

Fee lands extend from the Ordinary High Water Mark of the Arkansas River to the surveyed project boundary. In addition to the fee acreage, Ozark Lake has 21,645 acres of flowage easement lands. The lake is situated in Franklin, Crawford, and Sebastian Counties and extends 36 miles along the Arkansas River. The shoreline of the lake varies from steep bluffs and tree lined banks to open farm lands and level fields. Nine parks are located along the banks of Ozark Lake.

The Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock and Dam and Ozark Powerhouse are located 1-mile southeast of Ozark, Arkansas, and is entirely within the political boundary of Franklin County. The Lock and Dam is situated at Navigation mile 256.8 on the Arkansas.

John Paul Hammerschmidt Lake on the Arkansas River is a major multiple use component of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Benefits other than navigation are derived through the use of impounded waters and the shoreline for recreation, soft conservation, and fish and wildlife management.

Only the Arkansas portion of John Paul Hammerschmidt Lake is managed by the Little Rock District. Included in this area is 5,700 acres of water surface at MSL elevation 392 feet. The pool is in a wide alluvial plain and oxbow lakes are frequent. Tributary streams are nearly clear and have relatively flat gradients in their lower reaches. Two park sites and two fishing access area compose the public land holdings on John Paul Hammerschmidt Lake and amount to approximately 680 acres. John Paul Hammerschmidt Lake also has 2848 acres of flowage easement. That portion of the pool managed by the Ozark Field Office is situated in Crawford and Sebastian Counties, and extends 26 miles from the James W. Trimble Lock and Dam to the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line.

Contact Information
Russellville Project Office
1598 Lock and Dam Road
Russellville, AR 72801
(479) 968-5008

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