Hello, everyone…  Well, we’ve just had a great victory in our battle to get Minimum Flow!  And, it’s come to my attention that some of you are not familiar with just exactly what it is, or what it could mean for the White River…  So, with that said:

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 10 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.

From what I understand, this battle has been ongoing for over 15 years.  For reasons I won’t get into in this blog…  well, let’s just put it this way; the power companies have strongly (and successfully) opposed it/blocked it/slowed it down for a long time.  Of course, they feel they had their reasons…

Now — let’s talk about the VICTORY!!!

As reported by KTLO Radio:

The Senate has joined the House in approving the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Development Act which contains funding authorization for a number of Arkansas projects, including a provision authorizing the Southwestern Power Administration and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the White River Minimum Flows Projects at Bull Shoals Lake.

(To read the entire KTLO article:  http://ktlo.com/wire/newssat/00358_senate_approves_legislation_for_minimum_flow_072518.php)

And who do we have to thank???  Far more people than I could ever list here, but here are a few to start off with:

Senator Blanche Lincoln, Senator Mark Pryor, Congressman Marion Berry, Congressman John Boozman, some of our finest local leaders, Forrest Wood & Jim Gaston, and of course many of our friends at AGFC.  Without their tireless efforts, Minimum Flow would never have become a reality.  We should all take the time to thank them for their efforts!

Just wanted to keep you informed about what’s going on with the White River!

Read the Trout Diva Blogs at http://WhiteRiverTroutDiva.net

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