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The time has come to make your voices heard! We have until the middle of November to
get thousands of signatures on our petition in support of Minimum Flow.
The final study (probably 800+pages) will be presented for public comment near
the beginning of October. This public comment period will probably only last 45 - 60 days. That's why it is imperative that we get signatures and make contact NOW!
It doesn't matter where you live, in or out of the state of Arkansas.
We need YOUR support!
The River needs your help. Most
of you have experienced the extreme water fluctuations on our river. Your support of the Minimum Flow initiative would end the “dead low”
water conditions and provide other enormous benefits. Below is an explanation of “Minimum Flow”. Presently when
power is not being generated the only water in the river is leakage from the dam. Establishing and maintaining a small (minimum) flow in the river would generate power to be used where
needed benefiting customers and power suppliers, as well as the fishery.
We hope when you’re done reading this explanation, you’ll want to sign our petition and forward this to your friends who will
also sign our petition. This is a most worthwhile project from an environmental standpoint and has been deemed technically sound, economically
justified, and environmentally priceless.
What is “Minimum Flow”?
When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) built the dams that
created Beaver, Bull Shoals, Greers Ferry, Norfork and Table Rock lakes, the primary purpose of those dams was to provide flood control and hydroelectric power.
Providing adequate water flow below each dam to protect fish and wildlife habitat was not a consideration.
Once the dams were constructed, the water releases were much colder than what was previously in the warm-water stream.
Consequently, with the exception of certain minnows, none of the previous species of the fish could survive in the changed environment for more than 140 miles of river.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service determined that trout could survive in the newly formed cold-water rivers and began stocking brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout.
However, at low water (i.e. when water is not being released for flood-control or power generation purposes) there is not adequate water to provide a stable environment for trout
and other aquatic life in the rivers. To this day, the COE has never mitigated the loss of the
warm-water rivers nor addressed the instability of the now cold-water rivers.
In that vein, the AGFC has
recommended altering the manner in which water is released through the dams to distribute the flows more evenly and in effect raising the low-water stage to a more adequate level.
This would increase the size of the permanent stream in the tailwaters below dams, thus stabilizing the stream environment so trout and the aquatic life they depend on can prosper.
Only
a minimal amount of water would be required to achieve these results. For example, on the White River below Bull Shoals Dam, the increased water flow would raise from approximately
250 CFS (current "dead-low" conditions) to approximately 850 CFS. This would raise the river between 6 inches in wider spots to maybe 12 inches in narrower locations.
The purpose of providing adequate minimum flow is to increase
the size of the permanent stream in the tailwaters below the dams. This will stabilize
the “in stream environment” so that trout and the aquatic life they depend on can prosper. In
addition, expected results include increased trout growth, improved fish production, more wade fishing, increased fish habitat, easier small boat navigation, and stabilized water
temperature. It will aid in fish and fisherman movement in the stream and will provide a more constant food supply for the fish. Recreational users will benefit from having better fishing
opportunities, boating, and scenery.
What can YOU do?
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Fill out the ONLINE PETITION FOR MINIMUM FLOW below (and get all your friends to do the same) This will generate one email for every signature that will be added to the other signatures provided.
It only takes a couple of seconds of your time!
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Download the printable version - PETITION IN SUPPORT OF MINIMUM
FLOW
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Print out *LOTS* of copies on 8-1/2 x 14 paper and get
all the signatures you can before the middle of October.
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Send them to me postmarked by November 15, as the period for public comment will be
coming to a close!
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Send an email (and get all your friends to do the same) to minimumflow@hisplaceresort.net
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include the following in the body, "WE STRONGLY
SUPPORT MINIMUM FLOW, AND ASK THAT YOU ASSIST WITH ITS IMPLEMENTATION".
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include your first
and last name, street address, city, state, zip code, contact phone, and any comments. If you exclude any fields, (other than the comments) your signature may not be
considered, so please be sure to include it all.
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Contact the Corps of Engineers, and let them know you support Minimum Flow.
Corp of
Engineers - White River Minimum Flow Project
c/o Mike Rogers,
Planning,
Environmental and Regulatory Division
P.O. Box 867
Little Rock, AR 72203-0867
E-Mail:
minimum.flow.project@usace.army.mil
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Write
your US Senator or Congressman, and ask them to support the Minimum Flow Project.
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