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The largest of the Arkansas Corp lakes
controlled by the Vicksburg District is Lake
Ouachita, which has a recreation pool that covers 48,300 acres of Garland and Montgomery
counties.
NEWS RELEASEs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Mississippi Valley Division
Release #: 08-02
Phone: 601-634-7783
Ask the
Corps, don’t listen to rumors
Click on above link to read complete news release
Primary Point of Contact For Lake Ouachita Information
Lake Ouachita Field Office
1201 Blakely Dam Road
Royal, AR 71968
(501) 767-2101
Richard D. Stokes
Lake Ouachita Park Manager
501-767-2101 Ext. 3006 or 767-2108 Ext. 3006
Richard.D.Stokes@mvk02.usace.army.mil
Titus V. Hardiman
Lake Ouachita Supervisor Manager
501-767-2101 Ext. 3056 or 767-2108 Ext. 3056
Titus.V.Hardiman@mvk02.usace.army.mil
US Army Engineer District
Vicksburg, MS 39183-3435
4155 Clay St.
Phone: 601-631-5010
Fax: 601-631-5296
Colonel Michael C. Wehr
Commander Vicksburg District
4155 Clay Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180-3435
Telephone: (601) 631-5010
Website:
http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil/
Lake Ouachita is located within the Ouachita National Forest, and it
opened in 1953. The scenery is highlighted by the unusual rock formations
that surround the lake, which lies in one of the ten most geologically
complex areas in the world.
The district focused attention on this feature by
creating a "Geo-Float Trail" in 1980 that combines land and water markings for a
16-mile trail. Developed in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Arkansas
Geological Commission, it became the first water-based interpretive trail to be included in
the National Trails System maintained by the federal Heritage Conservation and Recreation
Service.
In1984, the Vicksburg District earned an honorable mention for the trail from the
Chief of Engineers’ biennial Environmental Awards Program, which recognizes
environmental achievements related to recently completed structures or Corps developments.
In1988, the lake was a national finalist in the "Take Pride In America" (TPIA)
program, sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Interior, and was cited as "one
of the three best ‘total projects’ in the country.
Lake Ouachita was visited by a group of 30 Canadian college students from
an outdoor recreation program at Lakehead University, who volunteered their time and used
it to develop a management plan for what is now Avery recreation area.
Vicksburg District Summary
Since their creation, the lakes of the Vicksburg District have functioned
as important recreational resources for the areas where they are located.
During the last one-and-one-half decades, interesting leisure-time
activities involving water recreation grew dramatically in the Vicksburg
District, so much so that about 27 million visitors used the district’s
facilities in 1991.
The proximity of many of the Corps lakes to urban areas made them popular
places, and their natural physical beauty appealed to the public’s growing
desire for contact with nature. As one enchanted visitor from Texas wrote in
the DeGray Lake visitor’s register, the lake in relation to its surrounding
areas is "like a flower is to heaven."
For these reasons, the lakes have become a major asset of Arkansas, creating
a regional industry worth more than a half billion dollars based on
visitation revenue alone.
As the demand
for recreation services increased during the 1950s, the district responded in a variety of
ways that demonstrated its commitment to managing natural resources and providing a
desirable and safe environment for visitors to its sites.
The Project Resources Management
Branch and its field offices developed a variety of programs in safety, volunteer
participation, public education, and wildlife, fishery, and forest management that
helped to satisfy the continuing increase in recreation use. The public participation in
developing new wildlife areas at the Corps lakes took "volunteerism" to a new
level of involvement.
Crown Jewels: The Lakes
The major recreation resources of the Vicksburg District are the seven
lakes that resulted from flood-control and hydroelectric projects, and three
smaller lakes operated by the Bayou Bodcau Office. The oldest is Sardis Lake
in Mississippi, created in 1940, and the newest is Arkansas’ DeGray Lake,
which began operation in 1972.
When the reservoirs reach their flood control pools, holding their maximum
amount of water, the largest is Grenada Lake, which covers 64,600 acres, and
the smallest is Lake Greeson, with 9,800 acres.
The different characteristics of each lake present unique challenges for the
resource management elements of the Vicksburg District.
Because it is the most recent of the Corps lakes, DeGray Lake, near
Arkadelphia in Clark and Hot Spring Counties, is the only site with
recreation facilities that were built according to a master plan.
Construction took place in three stages. In 1972, the dam and adjacent power
house were opened; in 1974, the second stage was completed, including many
recreation developments around the lake. By 1980, the last parts of the
site, including a modern visitor information center, were opened to the
public.
Several years later, in response to a federal directive to lower
operating costs at government facilities, the district permanently closed
certain remote recreation sites at DeGray and temporarily closed other sites
here and elsewhere during the off-season. Still, with its smaller
reregulation pool downstream, the lake is one of the most popular sites in
the district. Water from the downstream pool can be pumped back to the main
lake during off-peak hours, so that additional hydroelectric power can be
generated during the peak demand hours of the next day. The re-regulation
pool also provides a water supply downstream, and affords a dependable flow
for water-sports enthusiasts. During the winter, volunteers also maintain a
small impoundment off this pool for waterfowl feeding.
At DeGray Lake, the state of Arkansas built and operates the DeGray State
Park, with a marina, golf course, camping grounds, and a large and
well-furnished lodge. The Corps of Engineers recreation area has also
developed a popular group-use area called Oak Bower, which offers dormitory
sleeping, a dining hall, and meeting facilities for church and community
groups.
In addition, groups from the Little Rock Air Force Base and the Caddo
Council Boy Scouts had recreation sites on the lake during 1985-91
Lake Greeson, located in Pike County and opened in1950, is the oldest of the
Arkansas lakes. A unique feature of its recreational appeal is the Bear
Creek Cycle Trail, which traverses lake shore and forest for 37 miles. The
only off-the-road trail in the Arkansas trail system, Bear Creek is
maintained throughout the year by volunteers as part of an agreement with
the Arkansas Motorcycle Dealers Association. Another trail on the nearly
16,000 acres of federal land that surrounds the lake, the Cinnabar Mine
Nature Trail, allows hikers to view mining sites from the 1930s and 1940s.
Lake Greeson has very appealing scenery, including steep, rocky ridges that
form long, finger-like peninsulas into the lake. Daisy State Park is located
on its shoreline. In 1985 and 1986,approximately 40 bald eagles were counted
in the mid-winter eagle censuses, and number grew to about 50 by 1990.
The release of water through the dam’s flood-control valves or over its
spillway provides a dramatic illustration of its hydroelectric potential.
Downstream, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission operates a nursery pond on
the Little Missouri River and annually stocks rainbow trout and other
species in the lake.
When the Corps of Engineers built the first lakes in the Vicksburg
District, officials were uncertain that the public would be interested in
using the limited recreational facilities available because of the long
driving distance to them.
At Lake Greeson, for example, home sites were sold
to individuals along with permanent boat-docking rights to encourage the
public to come and use the lake.
.Recreation facilities were not a major concern because the primary
purpose of the reservoirs was flood control, supplemented on the three
Arkansas lakes by the generation of hydroelectric power.
Yet the public
appreciated the value of the lakes from the beginning, and hunters, anglers,
boaters, and others began to use the land and water resources.
Facilities were minimal prior to 1944, but the government began to change
its approach to recreation as the number of visitors increased.
The Flood
Control Act of 1944 authorized the Corps to build and operate recreational
facilities and to lease project land to public groups for fishing, wildlife,
and other recreational activities.
During the 1970s, as it managed the natural resources committed to it, the
Corps of Engineers balanced a number of related and sometimes competing
goals: navigation, flood control, hydroelectric power, timber and
wildlife stewardship, and recreation.
Navigation and flood control involved
some interaction with the public, but the recreation aspect of Corps
resource management developed into a permanent and continual contact with
the recreation industry and the users of recreational facilities, which
required new techniques of responding to customer needs. One result of this
development was an increased visibility for the Vicksburg District
throughout its region.
Except for the flood years of 1974, 1979, and 1991, and during the gasoline
shortages in 1973-1974, recreation use continued to grow throughout the
Vicksburg District during this period.
In fact, according to use data
collected by the Corps, about four times as many people now visit the sites
at the lakes and rivers as did in 1960. More than 27 million visitors came
to the Corps facilities in 1991, compared with almost 6.7 million in 1960.
Much of the growth came from increased use at the six lakes that had
recreation opportunities in 1960, although millions of visitors also use the
newer facilities at DeGray Lake and those along the Ouachita-Black River
from Camden, Arkansas, to the Jonesville Lock and Dam in Louisiana, which
are supervised by the Monroe Navigation Field Office.
The
rapid growth of visitors, and campers in particular, led the Lake Ouachita staff to
institute a campground reservation system in1991. This was a first attempt by the district
to regulate usage in this manner, and resulted from the large number of campers who were
being turned away from the lake’s many campsites during the peak summer months.
In Arkansas,
Lake Ouachita has the largest attendance, although use of the
Ouachita-Black River sites increased dramatically in the late 1980s
according to data gathered by the Corps, fishing was the number one
attraction at most lakes.
This was particularly true at Arkabutla, Enid, Ouachita, and Sardis; as
many as 60 percent of the visitors in 1985 came for that reason among others.
Boating and swimming were attractions at every site, especially at the
Arkansas lakes and at Arkabutla. Sightseeing and camping were also important
activities at many spots that year, especially at DeGray, Enid, Greeson, and
Grenada, where more than one-third of the visitors included these activities
in their stay. Recreation has also become an important use of other Corps
waterways. Boating ramps along the Ouachita and Black Rivers, Red River, and
Pearl River have made these areas accessible for boaters, fishers, hunters,
and others. Lake Chicot in Arkansas and the Caddo, Bodcau, and Wallace sites
in Louisiana offer similar recreational opportunities for area residents;
altogether these sites accounted for about 3.3 million of the visitors
to Corps areas in 1986 and 5.2 million in 1991.
Managing the Crowd
With the millions of visitors came problems of management and visitor
safety. In addition to its natural resource management, the district was called upon to
accommodate the needs of many new campers, anglers, skiers, hunters, hikers bikers, and
others in the same water-created locations. For example, at Arkabutla visitor days
increased 92 percent from 1976 to 1986, and the daily activities varied widely: 30 percent
were fishing, 27 percent were boating, 21 percent were swimming, 18 percent were camping,
16 percent were picnicking, and 13 percent were sightseeing.
Three major Corps initiatives
were devised to handle the new pressures that came from such diverse demands on the sites:
Safety awareness programs
Contracting out of law enforcement with local sheriffs
The involvement of volunteers in assisting the district with its onsite activities.
With the
growth of recreation came an increased need for safety, especially during the peak usage
periods.
Nationally, the policy of the Corps was to alleviate the problem by promoting
safety education programs. In responding to this, the Vicksburg District has developed a
number of significant programs, several of which have been recognized nationally.
Water
safety was the biggest emphasis for these programs since boating and swimming fatalities
accounted for the majority of the 15 deaths per year that occurred at the district sites
during the 1980s.
An analysis of the types and causes of recreation accidents led to the
development of a comprehensive water safety policy.
It included courtesy boat inspections,
interpretive programs
activities promoting safe boating and fire prevention weeks
provision of and training in rescue devices, and other activities.
Also, lake personnel were trained in boating safety, CPR, and search and
rescue techniques. Identifying safety hazards by constant contact with
visitors was also important to the safety program. In 1984, the district
reviewed its lake operations and facilities and adopted boat ramp
specifications for reflective pavement markers, standardized swimming area
designs, warning markers, and rescue devices.
This effort was in part due to the tragic deaths of six family members in an
auto that inadvertently left a park road, went down a boat ramp, and sunk in
Sardis Lake in 1981. The district also realigned park roadways near many
ramps to make the approaches less direct.
Then, in 1987, the district began implementing
the Corps’ Sign Standards Manual, which established visual and verbal sign
consistency for the Corps projects for the first time.
Another safety program was extensive contact between district personnel and
the people who used the facilities. Corps personnel regularly visited community gatherings,
schools, and clubs to discuss safety and the use of the water. Furthermore, meetings were
held with representatives of other federal and state agencies and public organizations
to explain the Corps’ program on regulating safety, and to involve these groups in
developing a comprehensive safety program.
In 1985, as a result, the Project
Resources Management Branch at Vicksburg and four of its rangers received an award from the
National Water Safety Congress for outstanding work in water safety at the community or
state level. B. J. Woods, chief of the branch during this period, noted that
"our safety program has been successful because of the cooperation of many agencies,
organizations, and individuals. Also, our people are genuinely concerned about public
safety . . . . The push for safety may be Corps-wide, but we’re putting an extra
effort into our local program."17
Meritorious
individuals included a Sardis Lake park technician who attempted to save the life of a
drowning victim by responding quickly and using CPR techniques. At Lake Greeson, a water
safety suggestion by one ranger led to putting ring buoys on swimming platforms in 1984,
a precaution that saved the life of a young non-swimmer that summer.
Finally, awards were
given to a Grenada park ranger who gave water safety presentations to school classes, and
to a DeGray Lake ranger for coordinating the water safety festival.
Another way of bringing
safety to visitors’ attention was to bring the visitors to safety exhibits or
programs. Most of the early safety programs were poorly attended, however,
at DeGray Lake,
for example ,there was little interest in National Safe Boating Week until 1983 when the
staff planned a variety of entertainments to coincide with it.
Called the DeGray Lake Water
Safety Festival, the new weekend featured not only safety demonstrations but also bands,
puppets, clowns, a ski show, powerboat races, craft displays, and local merchants showing
their safety equipment such as flotation devices and fire extinguishers.
Each annual event
since then has emphasized the role of water safety as part of a fun experience, and
attendance has numbered between 5,000 and 12,000 persons each year.
The most notable effect of this safety program has been the reduction
in the number of fatalities at the Corps sites. The decline from 23 fatalities in1984 to 13
in 1990 is an impressive drop during a period when visitation increased by about 6.2
million visitors. The accident rate was also reduced during this period.
New Muscle in Law
Enforcement While public education was a large part of the
district’s approach to safety during the 1980s, law enforcement was also an important
part of operating the lake sites. Prior to 1978, visitors often expected the rangers to act
as policemen despite their lack of authority or equipment. They did their best to maintain
order and respect for the law but lacked specific statutory jurisdiction and weapons.
They could issue warnings or citations, but could not arrest or detain law
breakers. This unsatisfactory arrangement resulted in a tragedy in June1977,
when two armed escapees from an Oklahoma prison murdered a Little Rock
District ranger and a town marshal and abducted and shot another ranger.
The Water Resources Development Act of 1976 had authorized a program of law
enforcement contracts with local governments. This incident focused the
public’s attention on the need for more efficient law enforcement at Corps
sites, and was partly responsible for the establishment of the Law
Enforcement Service Contract program in 1978. Since 1978, the Project
Resources Management Branch had participated in a cooperative law
enforcement program with local police and sheriff’s departments which assist
at Corps sites. Although Corps recreation areas have always been under the
jurisdiction of local law enforcement agencies, they were not always
patrolled on a regular, scheduled basis. The new program gave districts "the
authority to contract with States or their political subdivisions to obtain
increased law enforcement services at Civil Works water resource development
projects."
The program clarified the authority of the
rangers, which was to enforce the federal regulations governing Corps parks and
recreation areas, and supported a more active role for sheriffs in enforcing state
statutes. During 1984-86, the contracts in the Vicksburg District amounted to nearly $1.1
million, with many county sheriff’s departments hiring or selecting specific deputies
to patrol the park areas. Besides funding the local police protection, the program frees
the rangers to manage the parks better and assist visitors in ways that are more appropriate
for their skills. While rangers still noticed some confusion on the part of visitors, both
sheriffs and resource managers reported the program was a very successful innovation.20
Establishment of the law enforcement cooperative agreement involved some
difficulties, however. The Corps had encouraged an attitude and image of
professionalism and competence for its rangers. The Vicksburg District urged
its resource managers to build a tradition of responsibility and
accomplishment at each site, at times using old-fashioned values to instill
this attitude. In1974, for example, branch chief Woods provided the rangers
with a recommended set of maxims from the 1980s in order to help develop a
spirit of professionalism. Among other things, it exhorted public officers
with "A time like this demands strong minds, great hearts, true faith and
ready hands.
When the Corps began to deemphasize the "policeman" image of the ranger,
many of its visitors reacted with alarm, writing to congressmen and to
district engineers. One Mississippi resident suggested in a letter to
Congressman Jamie Whitten that "people who do not obey the law would take
these places over and a man and his family would not be able to go there.
Such
uncertainty at the time led to the development of a Visitor Assistance Program. Instituted
in 1978, the program encouraged frequent contact with park users and included such
activities as regular surveillance of lakes and park areas by rangers equipped with
radio communication equipment that connected them to local law enforcement agencies.
One annual volunteer event that originated in the neighboring Little Rock
District was successfully adopted by the Vicksburg District. Called "The Great Arkansas
Cleanup" or "The Annual Woodsy Owl Cleanup," it was a day set aside for
volunteers to gather at the lakes and to pick up trash and litter that had accumulated
at recreation sites and along the shoreline during the peak season. After the debris was
collected, private sponsors of the even provided a picnic, entertainment,
games, and an awards presentation. In one recent year, the operation removed
enough litter to fill approximately70 dump trucks, and collected about
18,000 pounds of recyclable aluminum.
In Mississippi, the lakes have an "Annual
Woodsy Owl Cleanup Day," and the district’s "Take Pride In America"
campaign is now part of the federal "Public Lands Day" that is celebrated
the Saturday after Labor Day. the Corps staff at the lakes and the volunteers who worked
with them were recognized repeatedly during the 1980s for the quality and generosity of
their efforts. Additional TPIA national awards were given in1991 to DeGray Lake for the
Bluebird Trail, and to volunteers at Lake Ouachita. Work by a volunteer at Enid Lake on the
Wildcat Brake Area was recognized in 1990 as a national TPIA finalist, and another volunteer
was a national TPIA winner at Arkabutla Lake in 1988.41
In addition, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation presented volunteers at Enid Lake
its conservation awards for individual efforts (1990) and group activity (1991).While
volunteers donated plenty of work during these years to the Corps’ efforts in wildlife
and forest management, recreation sites also became the location for many pleasurable
volunteer activities. Arts and crafts festivals were organized at
Lake Ouachita in the
1980s that highlighted the traditional crafts of the Ouachita Mountains. Approximately 20,000
persons attended the Arkabutla Lake Crafts Fair and Barbecue on Labor Day 1984 to raise
money for the Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in nearby Memphis. Lake Ouachita Corp Of Engineers Infomation Not All Fun
and Games
The public’s involvement with recreation and the Vicksburg
District was not limited to the roles of visitor and volunteer. As in other
parts of the district’s mission, citizens also functioned as policy critics
and as partners in planning. One recurring dilemma for resource management was
the inherent conflict between flood-control policies regarding lake water
levels and the use of the lakes by hunters, fishers, and boaters. In order to
plan effectively for flood control, the district annually lowered the water
level at its dams during the winter according to an interim rule curve for
each lake. A minimum or conservation pool level was maintained at the
Mississippi lakes, and a minimum power pool was preserved at the Arkansas
lakes during this period.
When the spring rains begin to fill the lakes,
they function as catch basins to prevent or minimize flooding downstream.
Even with these procedures, floodwaters did exceed the spillway level at
district dams in 1973, 1980, 1983, and 1991. In 1985, public pressure began
to build for higher water levels during the late winter and early spring
seasons. For example, a delegation of marina owners at Lake Ouachita visited
the offices of the Vicksburg District and Arkansas Power and Light, who
between them control a series of dams on the Ouachita River, to request that
higher levels be maintained there. In Mississippi, over 1,000 sports
enthusiasts, commercial concerns, and local citizens petitioned the district
in early 1986 to raise spring lake levels to enhance fishing and recreation.
Meanwhile, upstream agricultural interests suggested lowering the summertime
levels, allowing the natural stream flow to deepen and clear the paths of the
tributaries that feed the lakes. District personnel met with delegations of
concerned citizens about the recreation and agricultural issues.
They also evaluated the operation of the four Mississippi lakes to determine
whether low water problems could be alleviated. As a result of record low
spring rainfall in 1986, most of the lakes were 10 to 12 feet below normal. While the Corps was willing to make minor adjustments to achieve benefits for
recreation and wildlife, District Engineer Col. Pat M. Stevens IV was clear
about the priority of flood control: "We are not looking at getting away from
our basic concept in operating those lakes. ... Managing those lakes to
everyone’s satisfaction is extremely difficult because I have a lot of
customers who don’t want their way of living changed." During the review,
Col. Stevens tried to ensure that "all my customers know what we are doing
and have ample time to comment or offer suggestions. A
major part of the review concerned the 1981 Interim Water Control Plan, which
included a rule curve during the winter months that was lower than the
earlier plans. This rule curve had been adopted to provide greater downstream
flood protection, especially for farmers who were losing crops to high water
stages every year. The plan also provided for releasing lake water when
agricultural fields were idle, and storing water when the planting season
began.
Water was released slowly during the summer months when more rapid
releases would not only flood farm land under cultivation, as happened in
1983, but also damage riverbanks and channels. In the end, the District
decided not to alter the existing rule curve, but to reevaluate it when
downstream channel construction on the Yazoo Basin was completed in the
1990s.Meanwhile, the drought of 1988 caused further public dissent over
the low water levels at the Mississippi lakes. Lower rainfall in 1989
also caused problems for outdoor enthusiasts on the Arkansas Lakes, especially DeGray Lake.46
The drought hit Sardis Lake especially hard .Fish populations suffered, and
the sponsors of the St. Jude Benefit Bass Classic became concerned that the
lake’s bass stock was "in pitiful, pitiful condition." A Save-the-Lake rally
was held at Harmon town in June 1988.Nevertheless, pleas by there leased in
the spring ran counter to the Corps’ mission of flood control, based on a
design rain of 28 inches in three days.47
Plans continued, however, for the construction of the weir on the lower lake
that provided more dependable water levels there after 1989. That project
was completed in February 1990.48
After 1988, the curve was modified somewhat to provide
more water during January to March. Another example of continued involvement
with the public was the management of the shoreline at Lake Greeson, one of
the oldest lakes in the district.
Although some property owners at the lake
had docking access as a property right, many others exercised it only because
they were there prior to the lake’s creation and had "grandfather" status.
These properties lost the private access when they were sold.
To involve the public in the shoreline planning, the resource manager held a series
of public meetings and distributed the preliminary plan for public review
and comment.
The plan sought to limit private, exclusive use of the
public property, encourage boat owners to utilize public facilities, and to
protect wildlife habitat and the environment while promoting safe,
recreational use of the lake.
As a result, the final plan had public support
and allowed the citizens in one Arkansas county to help direct the way in
which the district served them. At the beginning of the 1990s, DeGray Lake
entered into unique negotiations with several water districts in Arkansas.
The lake is the only district project that has public water supply as an
authorized project purpose. The lake had previous agreements with the
Ouachita River Water Association, and was considering granting water use rights
to the town of Kemzey and Little Rock water districts. The public was also
involved as new facilities were developed near Grenada Lake, along the
Red River, at Sandy Beach near Camden, Arkansas, and at Warfield Point on the
Mississippi River near Greenville. Washington County, Mississippi,
supplied the land for Warfield Point and staffed the facilities, which
included camping sites, a bath house, playgrounds, a recreation house, and
an observation tower for viewing the river. Similarly, Camden provided land on
the Ouachita River for Sandy Beach, and the district developed picnic sites,
a playground, boat ramps, and a pavilion with river overlook. The city
operated and maintained the park when it was completed in 1978.
At Crossett
Harbor, the district designed and built a recreation park adjacent to the
Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, offering camping sites and picnic areas
on the Ouachita River. The
development of future recreational facilities was clouded by the recent
cost-sharing requirements, which might prove to be
more expensive than many communities can bear. Still, plans were under way for
new sites along the Red River and the Pearl River Land exchanges were also
considered when the result would improve public use of the land.
Corps
officials at Vicksburg and Washington, D.C., agreed to an "interchange" of
land near the shoreline at Lake Ouachita.
The 10,000-acre area, which served
as a buffer between the existing U. S. Department of Agriculture national
forest and the Corps-managed property, could be managed by either agency
under the relevant statutes. After a public hearing in May 1986, a final
proposal for the interchange was considered by Congress for several years and
approved in 1989.
The Corps continued to have responsibility for recreation, flood control,
and hydroelectric power at the lake on the land up to an elevation of 610
feet above sea level; above that the Forest Service took control of land
management.
With the increased interest in
outdoor recreation during the 1970s and1980s, local communities received
many economic benefits. Direct income to the region increased from the wages
and salaries paid by the Corps to its employees and subcontractors.
In fiscal
year 1986, for example, law enforcement contracts alone accounted for
$170,000 indirect income to the counties surrounding the three Arkansas
lakes. In1991, Mississippi counties were paid $187,000 for law enforcement.
In that year, the district paid a total of $363,300 for law
enforcement contracts to agencies throughout the three states.
Also, 75 percent of the lease money paid to the district by commercial
operations at the lakes goes to the states each year, which distribute the
money to the counties for use on schools and roads.
The State of
Mississippi, for example, received $278,000 in1977, $478,000 in 1986, and
$325,000 in 1991 as refund payments from the Corps. In 1991, $383,000 of the
lease payments went to states in the Vicksburg district. Each county derived additional income as the redistributed
money was respent in the area, increasing the demand for other goods and
services in the region. In addition, user fees were paid to the district by
campers at the lakes; in 1986, this amounted to $479,000.
However, rental income from concessions did not increase under the Corps’
new leases, even as many lakes experienced rapid growth in visitation and
concession use.
The link between recreation at the Corps facilities and the
tourism industry in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi became stronger
during the 1970s and1980s because families began staying longer at the
recreation sites.
Based on average daily expense of $40 for a family of
four, the district estimated that visitors to the Mississippi lakes spent
$180 million at nearby communities.
An additional $160 million was spent at
communities around the three Arkansas lakes, and many more dollars were
applied at other sites in the district.
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