‘It’s going to ruin us,’ Arkansas River levee being bypassed by dilapidated flood gates
CONWAY COUNTY, Ark. – What good is a levee if it cannot keep the water out? People in Conway County are trying to solve that problem, because a part of the levee is wide open to the Arkansas River.
Dilapidated is the best word to describe the levee boxes south of Plumerville. For more than 80 years, the gates have prevented water from flowing under the levee. Lately, the front line of defense for Seth Walker and his neighbors has been hurting more than helping.
“These are not functioning, they are not holding up water,” Walker explained.
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Walker runs a nearby ranch and has helped maintain the gates since he was a child, but he said it’s to the point where something needs to be done before another major flood.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s when, and it’s going to get bad, and it’s not just going to affect us. It’s going to affect everybody,” Walker stated.
When the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the levee boxes, the base level of the Arkansas River was lower. As a consequence of the water level rising, much of the steel structure that was not designed to be inundated with water has eroded.
The Conway County Levee Board said money is the solution to the problem, but there is not enough. They plan to combine three levee districts from Morrilton to Menifee to help pay for it as they seek state and federal aid.
“It’s just about the funds. That’s what it amounts to. We’re gonna basically be looking at what I call everybody taking, hold hands on this whole development system, and get the system upgraded where it needs to be,” Judge Hart explained.
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On the surrounding farmland, fixing this amounts to everything. It doesn’t have to be a major flood like in 2019 to cause catastrophic damage. Walker said even just half a foot of rain upriver in Oklahoma could wash away their newly planted seed.
“I’ve got row (crops) that will go under, I’ve got barns that will go under, thousands and thousands of crops. It’s going to ruin us,” Walker said.
Conway County will hold a public meeting on merging levee districts to increase the tax base soon. Judge Hart said paperwork regarding titles is what is preventing things from progressing.
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