MAYFLOWER – The problems with the Lake Conway watershed didn’t occur overnight and they’re not going to be solved overnight. But an advocacy group of stakeholders in the area are doing their part to rectify the long-standing flooding and sedimentation problems in the watershed.
The Lake Conway Watershed Advocacy Group met Monday morning to continue the long and expensive process of bringing together divergent groups with a common goal. The group ranges from top state officials to local elected officeholders to various state agencies to landowners and fishermen.
Lake Conway is owned by the AGFC and is the nation’s largest lake built by a state agency. Completed in 1951, the lake has been a center of concern for flooding downstream roads, high water on private property around the lake, fluctuating water levels and excessive vegetation.
State Rep. Jane English of North Little Rock has been the driving force behind the group. English represents District 42 of the Arkansas House of Representatives. This includes northern Pulaski County and southern Faulkner County.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Chief of Fisheries Mark Oliver said that there’s some real progress being made. “We’ve got some momentum going now, especially with the downstream flooding issues at Grassy Lake Road and in the effort to fund a watershed study of the Lake Conway area. We have a lot of support from a number of different people,” Oliver said.
Oliver said that reducing flooding and erosion in the watershed is a top priority for the AGFC and other interests. “This is something that we need to do to prolong the life of the lake. We anticipate continued growth in the area for years to come. We need to address the sedimentation problems within the watershed before it’s too late,” Oliver said.
For eight years, the Lake Conway Citizens Advisory Committee has met with AGFC staff members to work on the assortment of problems. Progress has been made on a number of them, but these are in the lake itself.
When Lake Conway was built, the city of Conway had about 8,500 residents. Today, Conway’s population is above 55,000, with extensive construction in the lake’s watershed replacing trees and grass with asphalt and concrete. The nearby towns of Mayflower and Vilonia have also experienced major growth.
The summit participants will meet again in mid-October.