Members
of the Beaver Dam Association, circa 1950. Front
row, from left: Willis Shaw (Elm Springs), Claud Morsani (Tontitown),
vice-president Joe Robinson (Springdale), president Earl Harris
(Rogers), secretary-treasurer Courtney Crouch (Springdale), Mace
Howell (Springdale), Paul Young (Fayetteville), unidentified.
Back row, from left: Elbert Graham (Lowell), State Senator Russell
Elrod
(Siloam Springs), J.J. Neil (Springdale), Albert Price (Eureka
Springs), unidentified, unidentified, Shelby Ford (Springdale),
Carl Shores (Cave Springs), unidentified.
Springdale
Chamber of Commerce Collection (S-77-9-294)
Northwest Arkansas lobbied for the construction of Beaver Lake. In 1949 area leaders formed the Beaver Dam Association to study such things as erosion and flooding on the upper White River and to look into irrigation, municipal water, and hydroelectric power, all in order to promote the lake’s construction.
The Beaver Water District was formed in 1957 by the cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale to secure a long-term supply of water for Benton and Washington Counties. The District paid for five additional feet of dam height for water storage.
Percentage
of Arkansans that get their drinking water from the lake: 12.5%
(over 250,000 people) |