Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rotary Club seeks water reservoir

Water consumed by customers of the Gurdon Water Department currently comes from wells, and the Gurdon Rotary Club sees this as a potential problem if the city begins to vie for industrial development.

Billy Tarpley, who will become president of the club this summer, told members of the club during a meeting on Thursday, March 28, that he believes a secondary water source is needed that would be devoted entirely to the city. The water source would provide enough water not only to ensure residential customers service in the years to come, but it would also serve as a reservoir from which potential industrial users could pull from.

Tarpley said industrial users often use much more water than the city would be able to produce from wells. Other nearby water sources such as Degray Lake have already been designated for use by the City of Little Rock.

Members of the club agreed that the old Gurdon Pond would be the best location, in their opinions, for such a reservoir. Officials have talked in the past of turning the property into a resort-like lake with camping and other amenities.

Gurdon Recorder/Treasurer Tambra Childres said she was opposed to that plan because the city does not have the resources to provide security and other services to a resort lake. Several other members agreed.

The club voted to take the issue on as a project. Tarpley will begin looking into what needs to be done to speed the process up.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would likely be involved in any project of this size, Tarpley said.

Other studies have been conducted in recent years about the feasibility of creating a reservoir from the Little Missouri River which flows south of Gurdon. The studies found that there is not enough water flowing though the area to create a lake.

The Ouachita River, which does have enough flow, is too far away from Gurdon to be an option.

Members of the club will meet with city officials to determine where the city stands on current plans for the old Gurdon Pond before proceeding with any major plans.