Primarily, this project aims to remove four large stream barriers, reconnect 493 miles of waterway, restore over 3,000 linear feet of streambanks using natural channel design techniques, create…

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the National Fish Habitat Partnership (CFDA 15.686) program aims to restore aquatic habitat and connectivity within the War Eagle Creek watershed in Arkansas. The $200,000 award will fund four stream barrier removals, reconnect 493 miles of waterway, restore over 3,000 linear feet of streambanks, create wetlands and riparian zones, and improve habitat for 27 species of greatest conservation need, including the federally listed rabbitsfoot mussel. The project will also provide public education and outreach to over 20,000 stakeholders and contribute to the Beaver Lake Watershed Protection Strategy and other conservation plans. Sub-awardee Beaver Watershed Alliance, a non-profit organization, will lead the implementation of these activities to enhance water quality, watershed function, and habitat connectivity within the Beaver Lake watershed.

Primarily, this project aims to remove four large stream barriers, reconnect 493 miles of waterway, restore over 3,000 linear feet of streambanks using natural channel design techniques, create wetlands and healthy riparian zones, restore habitat for target species, aid in aquatic organism passage, as well as provide beneficial outcomes for drinking water supplies, watershed function, wildlife and public health and safety. Twenty-seven species of greatest conservation need (sgcn) will benefit directly from this project, and propagation of scgn (mussel species) will be released into the completed project area to RE-establish mussel populations. Public education and outreach efforts will inform over 20,000 stakeholders about the importance of habitat and stream restoration and the challenges posed by stream barriers. Long-term conservation will be achieved through advancing the beaver lake watershed protection strategy, arkansas water plan, wildlife management action plan and other strategic plans by improving water quality and habitat connectivity. Scope: this project will implement four stream barrier removals and streambank restoration along 3,000 linear feet in the war eagle creek watershed, the largest tributary to beaver lake. The focus is on two critical sites: the huntsville DAM site and the GAR hole site. Location: war eagle creek watershed spans from the boston mountains to beaver lake, covering a portion of the beaver lake watershed which extends over 1,192 square miles in benton, carroll, washington, and madison counties, including 17 municipalities. Project justification: beaver lake, a 28,000-acre reservoir, serves as a flood control, recreational site, hydroelectric power source, and drinking water supply for over 550,000 people. Nutrient and sediment pollution, primarily from stream bank erosion, unpaved roads, pasturelands, urban runoff, and stream barriers, threatens water quality. War eagle creek is a priority watershed per the beaver lake watershed protection strategy and is on the EPA 303(d) list for aquatic life impairment due to low dissolved oxygen. Restoration is crucial for improving water quality and habitat for species such as the federally listed rabbitsfoot mussel and other species of concern. Goals and objectives: riparian zone enhancement: establish or enhance 3,000 linear feet of riparian zones with native vegetation. Water quality improvement: remove stream barriers, implement grade control structures, and restore streambanks to enhance stream function and aquatic habitat. Watershed connectivity: reconnect 493 miles of stream by removing the huntsville DAM and its overflow structures, and replacing the GAR hole low water crossing with a span bridge. Habitat restoration: improve habitat for federally listed and at-risk mussels and fish, enhancing genetic fitness and population resiliency. Public education and outreach: inform over 20,000 stakeholders about the importance of habitat and stream restoration and the challenges posed by stream barriers. Long-term conservation: contribute to the beaver lake watershed protection strategy, arkansas water plan, wildlife management action plan and other strategic plans by improving water quality and habitat connectivity.