In 1915, an earthen dam was built across Little Sugar Creek to build a lake for a planned resort. Today this is Bella Vista Lake, a public park for the city of Bentonville, Arkansas. The dam was poorly constructed, and failed shortly after. Another dam was built. The lake it created was used for fishing and swimming by the resort guests. That is until the water became too murky for swimming, and the fish population dropped to almost nothing. No one planned for the fish migration or the continuous deposits of silt and debris from the creek. So they have a dam that degrades the water quality, lowers fish populations, offers little recreation (only kayaks, no swimming), and produces algae on the lake that gets flushed downstream.

The dam is now considered failed due to recent floods. Bentonville City Council hired an engineering firm to determine the cost of rebuilding it. They then applied for FEMA funds which were just awarded ($2.7 million). This same firm was given the contract to rebuild. This same firm was also the one who did the environmental impact study that FEMA considered in determining to grant the funds. Does this sound like an objective approach?

It is many times more expensive to rebuild a dam versus removal. The porous limestone in this area necessitates deep (and expensive) footers for safe dams. The cost of building and maintaining a safe dam for the sole purpose of re-creating a recreational lake that was never successful is a waste of community resources – and not just tax dollars.

Friends of Little Sugar Creek was formed to save the creek from this harmful dam. Please sign to tell the Bentonville City Council that this dam needs to go so that Little Sugar Creek can live! Give the fish and the people a decent place to swim!