Nonprofits Poised to Restore Spout Spring in Fayetteville’s Walker Park
The local Watershed Conservation Resource Center and its partners are embarking on a yearslong project to restore Spout Spring within and near Walker Park in Fayetteville. This restoration effort coincides with the city’s plans to upgrade the park and a nonprofit’s push to create a historic Black district in the area.
The center, with its office in Fayetteville, received over .67 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s community forest program to fund the project. The money will primarily go toward restoring approximately 3,300 feet of stream and 22 acres of forest in the 73-acre park. Additionally, the project includes the removal of invasive plant species and planting native ones to enhance the environment.
The city also plans to renovate Walker Park by adding amenities and features. It has secured around .3 million from a 2019 bond issue and the federal American Rescue Plan Act to cover the design and construction costs for the first phase of work.
The nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Black Heritage Association is working in tandem, gathering signatures from property owners to create a new Spout Spring historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. This proposed district would cover an area defined by Spring Street to the north, Wood Avenue to the east, 15th Street to the south, and College Avenue to the west.
Restoring the stream will take about four to five years and will utilize natural channel design principles to mitigate the effects of channel enlargement, improve water quality, and enhance local ecology. The project aims to restore stream banks, establish healthy riparian forests, reduce sediment and nutrients from erosion, filter pollutants, and enhance stream bed features. Additionally, it will make areas of the stream more accessible to the public.
The stream restoration work will primarily take place within Walker Park. Moreover, areas upstream into the Spout Spring neighborhood will see invasive plant removal and native species planting with property owner permission. The nonprofit plans to place historical signs along the stream to highlight the area’s history.
It’s a collective effort from staff at the center and the city, who have been considering stream restoration for several years. The city made the center aware of the grant opportunity last year, and the center applied with its partners to pull off the project. Partners include the Beaver Watershed Alliance, Beaver Water District, American YouthWorks, and the national Forest Service, in addition to the city and the Black heritage association.
Spout Spring is a headwater stream of Town Branch, which flows into the West Fork of the White River, a major tributary of the White River and the main drinking water source for the region. The stream’s restoration will have a direct impact on the local ecology and water quality.
The area’s history is also deeply intertwined with the restoration efforts. The Black heritage association highlights the historical significance of the stream, which was once accessible for the around 300 Black families who lived in the neighborhood in the early 1900s. The restoration project aims to return the stream to its former glory, making it accessible to the public once again.
