The scope of the Illinois River Flood study was to identify the major contributing factors to the increased water levels in the Illinois River in northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma and to provide suggestions as to what can be done to decrease the frequency and magnitude of flooding.
To accomplish this, USACE partitioned the study into three components:
- Illinois River stream gage analysis
- Climatic variability and hydrology (as it relates to streamflow, precipitation, and runoff)
- Comprehensive hydraulic analysis
USACE is working with the Arkansas Natural Resource Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to identify possible means to reduce the impacts of localized flooding in northwest Arkansas to the Illinois River. USACE hydrologists and engineers are examining urbanization in northwest Arkansas and how development can occur in ways that minimize impacts to the water flowing in the mainstem of the Illinois River.