AGFC working through Lake Grampus washout

MONTROSE — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is in the initial stages of developing a plan to repair the levee, spillway and water-control structures of Lake Grampus in Ashley County, which saw a levee collapse during Memorial Day Weekend after severe rain events weakened the structure and uprooted trees, ultimately leading to the levee’s failure.

“We are committed to repairing the levee and reestablishing the lake, but it may be months before the plan can be put into action due to soil conditions, road conditions limiting access to the damaged area with heavy equipment and continued wet weather,” Ben Batten, Deputy Director for the AGFC, said. “We understand how important this resource is for local anglers and we want to do everything we can to get people fishing again on Grampus.”

The same April 8 storm surge that caused floods to ravage the Spring River and two hatcheries in northeast Arkansas also caused damage to the levee at Grampus, which is an old oxbow once part of Bayou Bartholomew. 

According to Ryan Mozisek, regional fisheries supervisor at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Monticello office, the April flood caused an overflow pipe to split within the levee and scour away at the core of the structure, washing out the backside of the levee.

“I was at the dam with one of our construction inspectors the day the pipe washed out,” Mozisek said. “We’ve been in the process of discussing repair costs and getting estimates from contractors since April, but the most recent event caused additional collapse, washing out the rest of the levee.”

That storm, which occurred Memorial Day Weekend, toppled multiple large oak trees growing in the levee, destabilizing the surrounding ground.

“When those oak trees came loose and their root wads came out of the ground, the rest of the levee saw a catastrophic collapse,” Mozisek said.

Grampus is a privately owned 350-acre lake in Ashley County, initially constructed in 1958 by an agreement between the Pugh Family and the AGFC to construct the levee and create an irrigation reservoir and additional fishing for local residents. Public access has been available through renewals of 5-year access easements to the lake’s owners, who have changed since the levee was first established. The AGFC has constructed one concrete boat ramp on the lake and manages the fishery through monitoring efforts, stocking if conditions require it and vegetation treatments to combat invasive plants when possible. 

“To my knowledge, there have been no construction improvements to the levee or water-control structures since the lake was created 67 years ago,” Mozisek said. 

Property ownership compounds the issue with repairs to the levee, as decisions ultimately will need to be made by all parties involved in the construction. 

“We are working through both the real estate challenges, legal ramifications and the potential fixes to remedy the situation,” Mozisek said. “We will communicate potential solutions to the problem as we know more and work through some of these hurdles.”

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CUTLINES: 

MUD FLAT
350-acre Lake Grampus in Ashley County has seen dramatic decrease in water level due to a levee failure that occurred Memorial Day Weekend. AGFC photo by Levi Olhausen.

FLOWING WATER
The water escaping Lake Grampus flows into Bayou Bartholomew, which once fed the old oxbow. AGFC photo by Levi Olhausen.

FALLEN TREES
Multiple fallen trees destabilized the levee which had already seen damage from failing infrastructure earlier this year. AGFC photo by Levi Olhausen.

WATER LEVEL ON CYPRESS TREES
Lake Grampus is a privately owned lake, but the AGFC leases an access easement every 5 years to ensure public access. AGFC photo by Levi Olhausen.