Restoring flow and function through a former lakebed
Project Case Study
June 2025
Huntsville, AR
Project
Huntsville Dam Removal & Restoration of War Eagle Creek
Client
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Location
Huntsville, AR
Completion Date
June 2025
*excluding materials
Summary
Flow State restored 4,200 linear feet of War Eagle Creek through the former Lake Huntsville following dam removal, rebuilding a stable channel and connected wetland system across the site.
The Challenge
After the dam failed, the lakebed was left without a defined channel. Flow spread into braided, unstable paths with little habitat value and no long-term stability.
The Approach
The remaining structure was removed and a new meandering channel was built using natural channel design principles. Rock riffles were installed for grade control, with longitudinal rock toe protection stabilizing bends.
In the overflow area, 3,200 linear feet were reshaped into wetlands using analog beaver dams to slow and spread flow. Roughly 60,000 cubic yards of earthwork were required to reestablish channel form and build the wetland system.
The Outcome
A stable stream channel now carries flow through the site, with wetlands supporting habitat and helping the system adjust over time.
Project Highlights
- 4,200 linear feet of stream restored
- 3,200 linear feet converted to wetlands
- 5.5 acres of wetlands established
- ~60,000 cubic yards of earthwork
Heavy equipment reshapes the streambank as the new channel takes form — grading, hauling, and compacting the fill needed to rebuild a stable bank profile through the old lakebed.
A rock riffle spans the channel bed here, holding grade and keeping the streambed from cutting deeper as flow moves through the bend.
Pulled back, the stabilized channel curves through reclaimed floodplain, with rock structures holding the bend in place while vegetation reestablishes along the banks.
The finished channel now carries War Eagle Creek through what was once open lake bottom — a defined, stable waterway in place of the braided, unstable flow left behind after the dam came out.
Project
Huntsville Dam Removal & Restoration of War Eagle Creek
Equipment Operators
Yancey Chapman, Ryan Rohlfs, Josh Vail, Eric Chitwood, Alan Shaffer, Cole Bailey, and Wes Montgomery
Construction Cost*
$ {acf_construction_cost}
Stamping Engineer
Kevin Hodges
(479) 713-0341
Design & Permitting
Hodges Engineering and Green Watershed Restoration
*excluding materials
Reducing flood risk and reconnecting a creek to its floodplain
Next Project
