The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will close the gates at the auxiliary structure of the dam at Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir on Dec. 2, beginning the process of refilling the lake after about three years of renovation work.
Nick Feltz, regional fisheries supervisor at the commission’s Mayflower office, announced the timing Monday night during a public meeting attended by roughly 170 people at Mayflower High School. The closure will allow the lake to begin holding water, although rainfall will determine how quickly levels rise.
Feltz said the commission is giving lakeside landowners an additional month to finish permitted work on docks, boathouses and shoreline improvements. He said the dry lakebed has allowed the project to complete the gains that could be made under the renovation schedule, while the agency wanted to accommodate residents working on property near the shoreline.
“We just passed 3 years into the planned 5-year renovation project, and we believe that with the drought keeping the lakebed as dry as it has, any gains we were going to make have been accomplished.”
Feltz said residents should complete their remaining projects before the gates are closed because water could rise quickly after substantial rain. He also said the commission has told landowners that the lake is ahead of the original schedule, while cautioning that filling the reservoir will still require rain in the right locations.
Work completed during drawdown
The renovation has included the renovation and marking of 28 miles of boat lanes, along with work on the lake’s water-control structures. The project also includes a new primary spillway and an auxiliary structure with gates that will allow the commission to manage future drawdowns and perform maintenance.
- Woody structures were placed to provide shelter for baitfish and ambush areas for game fish.
- Cypress trees, grasses and other vegetation have grown across portions of the exposed lakebed.
- Boat lanes, ramps, access areas and other facilities have been improved during the drawdown.
Feltz said the agency will monitor the cypress growth after water returns to the reservoir. He said the natural vegetation that developed while the lakebed was exposed exceeds the habitat materials placed by the commission and has created dense areas of grasses and soft vegetation.
Additional work involving parking, courtesy docks, lighting and amenities for bank anglers will continue. A pedestrian bridge installed where the old dam’s catwalk stood is intended to preserve walking access to Belle Slough.
The lake’s normal water level will remain unchanged after the renovation. The commission also said it will no longer conduct the routine winter drawdown, while the new auxiliary structure will retain the ability to support future management drawdowns and maintenance.
