EL DORADO, Ark. (AP) - Members of a south Arkansas river association are set to travel to Washington, D.C., this week as they seek additional funding for dredging of the river and for around-the-clock operation of its locks and dams.
Just less than $9.8 million has been allocated for the current fiscal year to the Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project. But the Ouachita River Valley Association says $11 million is needed for efficient operation of the project, $7.5 million for operational costs and $3.5 million for dredging.
The association’s members plan to meet with members of both Arkansas’ and Louisiana’s congressional delegations and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request an additional $3.1 million.
The river’s navigational channel near Crossett, just north of the Louisiana border, has narrowed to 6 feet and falling river banks are causing problems for recreational boaters, ORVA President Mike Dumas told the El Dorado News-Times (https://bit.ly/1fRTyPW ).
“North of (Crossett Harbor), the river hasn’t been dredged in four years,” he said, “and there are no plans to, because there’s no navigation on that part of the river.”
ORVA has also identified recreational facilities that are in need of repair, including three sites that need an estimated $2.3 million in bank-stabilization repair work.
Money is also needed to clear the Crossett-Camden segment of the river where numerous logs and trees have collected and pose a danger to recreational boaters.
The trip is an annual event for the association, according to Dumas.
“We go up twice a year to meet with Corps folks and legislators to keep them abreast of what’s going on with the river,” Dumas said. “We’re always trying to get more money for what we need to do on the river.”
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Information from: El Dorado News-Times, https://www.eldoradonews.com
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