Study to pinpoint water quality issues at Lake Fayetteville

Rubbish is visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Rubbish is visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)

FAYETTEVILLE -- A water quality study at Lake Fayetteville should help find a way to make recreational swimming a possibility at the city's most popular park, the parks advisory board heard Wednesday.

The city has selected consulting firm Olsson to head the study, which should take nine months to a year to complete, staff engineer Alan Pugh said. The firm will use data from past studies and collect new information to pinpoint the source of water quality issues for the lake's watershed, he said.

"In the past, there have been a lot of different studies done that were kind of disjointed," Pugh said. "A lot of those were done through the University of Arkansas with water quality, but none of them combined and did an overall watershed plan."

The project's scope will include bringing various stakeholder groups together, such as the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, Watershed Conservation Resource Center and potentially other municipalities such as Springdale and Washington County, Pugh said. Much of the watershed lies outside the city limits. Data collection will include sediment samples, analysis of pollutants and nutrients, water clarity, the lake's depth and mapping its bottom.

Swimming is not allowed at Lake Fayetteville, for people or for dogs.

Once the data is collected, the city can look at options for disposal of sediment and best management practices for the water's quality, Pugh said.

Estimated cost of the study is $200,000, Pugh said. Staff is still figuring out a funding source and will present a proposal for the City Council to consider, he said.

The council in March passed a resolution requesting the city hire a consultant to come up with a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy and improvement plan. The intention was to get the lake appropriate for swimming and fishing.

At least three algae blooms in the last three years prompted the city to put out warnings to residents to refrain from making contact with the water.

Parks Director Connie Edmonston said Lake Fayetteville offers the most varied opportunities for recreation in the city, from sand volleyball to canoeing to hiking and biking.

"I think it's worth every dime to figure it out so we can do even more," she said.

In other business, the board agreed to name the section of the arts corridor at Gregg Avenue within the Fay Jones woods as Tanglewood Park. The stream running through the woods is Tanglewood Branch.

The entire arts corridor, stretching along West Avenue from Dickson to Prairie streets, will be known as the Ramble. The name is a nod to late Arkansas musician Levon Helm, who hosted Midnight Ramble sessions in a barn in Woodstock, N.Y.

Additionally, Wednesday's meeting marked the final one for Edmonston, who is retiring Friday. Edmonston has served as parks director since 1998 and spent a total of 35 years with the city.

Department superintendents in park planning, recreation and maintenance are handling duties while the city searches nationally for a director.

Rubbish and algae are visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Rubbish and algae are visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Rubbish and algae are visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Rubbish and algae are visible floating Wednesday, July 7, 2021, on the north side of Lake Fayetteville. The city has partnered with a consultant on a water quality study for the lake in order to develop a Lake Fayetteville watershed strategy. Check out nwaonline.com/210708Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)

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