10/08/2026
Spillway Pit Removal Update! 👇
(Scroll down for the full update and watch the attached video)
This took place at the January 27th, 2026 Bentonville City Council meeting.
🎥 Watch the attached video of Parks Director David Wright addressing the Bentonville City Council. He is requesting approval for a change order (not to exceed $16,000) to completely remove the east spillway, reversing the original plan to try and repurpose it into a viewing platform.
As of high noon today, October 8th, 2026, we still have not received a response to our inquiry from the City of Bentonville's 311 portal. However, we did get a few direct comments from the project's contractor, Streamline Environmental, LLC.
When asked about the timeline last night, they responded:
"Had to tackle other issues. We haven’t left. You can’t get rid of us that easily."
A commenter followed up with a crucial question:
"Wouldn't it have been easier to remove the concrete while the excavators were already there taking the dam down? Looks like time and money have been spent grading all around the spillway pit like it's going to be left there. All the boulders are sitting there by the spillway pit like you are going to keep it. Would be great to get an explanation of what will be done with this area."
The contractor’s response:
"This area is a design-build area since the original plans left the “overlook”. The engineers are coming up with the best use both form and function. The concrete is acting as a sill currently and keeping the area stable. The “pit” will get filled but there is a spring there that complicates a design."
What does this mean?
As best we can surmise, the plan is to fill the spillway discharge pit—provided they can engineer a way around the complications caused by the natural spring. Furthermore, the contractor noted the concrete sill is "currently" keeping the area stable, which gives us hope that it isn't intended to be permanent.
Instead of leaving a concrete sill sitting directly in the creek's riparian zone, streambank stability should absolutely be achieved using more natural methods. In fact, natural stabilization is exactly what is already being done along other parts of the streambank.
This stagnant pit and the remaining concrete base of the spillway are the very last remnants of the old dam. We are anxious to see swift action taken to clean up this health hazard and eyesore as soon as possible.
If there are complications due to the nearby spring, let's put our heads together and find a better solution than blocking a natural water source with remnants of old concrete infrastructure.
Free Little Sugar Creek! REMOVE ALL OF THE DAM!
