Huntsville Dam Removal & Restoration

Completed a 4,200 linear foot stream restoration project through what was previously Lake Huntsville on the War Eagle Creek in Huntsville, AR. The project took nearly a year to complete and was one of the largest stream restoration projects ever to be done in the state of Arkansas. In addition to the main channel, 3,200 linear feet of the overflow channel were restored into wetlands.

This project involved the removal of a failed water control structure, building a stable stream channel through the old lakebed, and building wetlands with the use of analog beaver dams in the overflow channel. Longitudinal rock toe protection was used to stabilize newly constructed meander bends and constructed rock riffles were installed as channel grade control. Natural Channel Design principles were used to design the pattern and profile of the newly constructed channel. The project had roughly 60,000 cu yards of earthwork required to re-shape the new channel and build a wetland complex through the old overflow channel. 5.5 acres of wetland were constructed in addition to the stream restoration.

This project is a great analog of the Little Sugar Creek project. Prior to restoration the site was a lake and was providing very little benefit to aquatic life or the community. Once the dam was removed the old lakebed had no defined channel and was heavily braided and unstable just like Little Sugar creek is upstream of the failed dam.