Conway, Arkansas – The Lake Conway renovations were revealed by the Conway area Chamber of Commerce last month.
In the lake’s 75-year history, this is the first time that water has been taken down, according to Jamie Gates with the chamber. According to him, this upkeep initiative guarantees that the lake will be preserved for future generations. As per Gates, the lake started to empty on September 1.
“You’re going to see more and more stumps and we’re gonna learn more about what’s been going on in the deep areas in the seven creeks and channels that flow underneath the creek,” he said.
Part of the effort, according to Gates, is being carried out in collaboration with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. He thinks that this project offers them a chance to reinvest in Lake Conway in a manner that they have never had before.
“Some estimates have silt totaling the loss of one-third of the water in the lake,” Gates said.
According to Gates, the prolonged decline increases the amount of fishable and productive water in the lake by allowing it to compress and regain its depth. According to him, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission intends to raise the number of underwater fishing facilities from 350 to 3,350. According to Gates, a drainage infrastructure component that was originally installed with the building has to be replaced.
For the past seven years, Ronie Williams has assisted in maintaining the cleanliness of the boats and cabins used for Hi-Way Landing. He claimed that until it is finished, businesses will be negatively harmed by Lake Conway’s dropping water levels.
“In the last week or so we’ve only had one launch and no boat rentals, because you can hardly get out of the lake to away from the dock here,” Williams said.
Williams stated he thinks residents close to Lake Conway are thinking about moving somewhere with a different landscape.
“I know most of the people around the lake over on Dogwood, that real nice neighborhood down there, and most of them have talked about selling because in five years, nothing will be out here,” Williams said. “All you see now is stumps and mud. They bought it to be on the lake.”
According to Gates, they want Lake Conway to realize all of its potential.
“It’s a man made lake, it has man made problems that are requiring a man made solution,” he said.
An official from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stated that the upkeep is anticipated to come with a $12 million price tag and be finished within the next five years.