The heavy rains of the first weekend of March set the stage for the flood events of this week. Areas across northern Arkansas received 3-5 inches of rain that first weekend. Follow that with our 6-10 inches of rain this week, and you can see the ground was primed for heavy runoff.
[Edit April 15th - The National Weather Service in Tulsa provided this case review of the March 17-19 weather which led to flooding. Here also is the Little Rock NWS report and another.]
Beaver Reservoir which had been at 1121.50 on March 7th came up to 1129.39 on March 21st after 48 hours of rain. Top of the flood pool is 1130.0. Flood gates were opened 3-feet March 19th at 10:30 to keep up with inflow coming into the reservoir. The Corps started shutting the gates at midnight and gates were closed by 7:00 the next morning. River stage made it to around 942 briefly. Flows downriver were just a few inches below the ends of the suspension bridge at the town of Beaver and just 6 to 8-feet of clearance under the middle of the bridge.
You can see this and other photos in the 2008 photo gallery.
Table Rock dam also had flood gates open and 5 gates will be releasing 5,000 cfs on top of all for units running at 15,000 cfs until Table Rock lake level comes down to 920 msl. Table Rock Lake crested at 1128.96 on March 22nd. Top of Table Rock’s flood pool is 931.0. It has been 10-15 years since Table Rock has been this high.
Mountain Home received 8.5 inches in about a 48 hour window, and northwest Arkansas got 6 to 10 inches of rain in a similar time-frame. This sent the Buffalo River from an 8-foot stage to almost 50-feet in about 24 hours–the third highest crest in the Buffalo’s 92 years of record.
The highest streamflow was recorded on Dec. 03, 1982. River stage crested at 53.75 (158,000 cfs). The second highest flood of record was in August of 1915 when the river crested at 50.50 (142,000 cfs). This year’s event came close to that mark.
Other significant flood years were:
Apr. 24, 2004 46.46 119,000 cfs
Nov. 25, 1973 45.41 111,000 cfs
Dec. 10, 1971 43.40 102,000 cfs
Apr. 15, 1945 41.00 100,000 cfs
Of course, the Buffalo River is only one of several important streams which add to the flooding equation, but since it is a major free flowing stream that feeds the White, it can mean massive flooding at times below it’s confluence with the White. Add a few other small streams with significant flooding potential like Crooked Creek and Mill Creek to the White and you have a major flood water source even with generation shut down at Bull Shoals and Norfork dams.
The section from Crooked Creek to Norfork which I regularly float in the summer months will be changed drastically from the flooding.
Houses across the river from the Shipps Ferry access were underwater Wednesday. This is where a developer just got approval from the Baxter Quorum Court to put in a new exclusive airstrip and housing development. He may be rethinking his situation.
Flows from the Buffalo River backed up water 10-feet at Norfork Dam and up Dry Run Creek.
The USGS captured video of a house floating into the bridge at Calico Rock and having its roof removed. The video is 50MB. Here is a downsized version. The White River crested around 37 feet at Calico Rock Wednesday night. Jack’s Resort down by Allison was also submerged.
Easter weekend Newport, Augusta, Georgetown, Des Arc and Clarendon were all dealing with flood waters. The waters there will recede more slowly than on the upper White. Newport was also seeing major flooding from the Black River, and Clarendon has to contend with the Cache in addition to everything else. The White River National Wildlife refuge starts at Clarendon and continues on almost to the White’s confluence with the Mississippi.
The year 2008 will be a year to remember on the White River.
© 2008, Scott Branyan
