Lake Fayetteville is a reservoir of Clear Creek created by Lake Fayetteville Dam in 1949 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bordered on the north by Springdale, the lake was created as a water supply for the City of Fayetteville, but now serves as recreational lake surrounded by residential neighborhoods and as a focal point along the Razorback Regional Greenway for cyclists and trail users throughout

Northwest Arkansas Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozark Mountains. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, ...

History

Lake Fayetteville was used as a water supply for Fayetteville until the creation of Beaver Water District, a regional provider whose source is Beaver Lake. The Clear Creek

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

contains rapidly developing areas of both cities; as a result, stormwater washes sediment and dissolved nutrients into Lake Fayetteville, including

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seve ...

and

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...

. The lake has undergone

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

, and occasionally has toxic algal blooms.

Amenities

Lake Fayetteville has a marina operated by the City of Fayetteville and fishing piers. The lake contains

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomo ...

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

, bluegill, and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

Trail along Lake Fayetteville looking south

The lake has long had a nature trail around the lake, including passing through the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. The Lake Fayetteville Nature Trail is a dirt path with tree markers passing through the oak-hickory forest typical of the Ozark Mountains. The first segment of paved trail connecting to the Razorback Regional Greenway was completed in 2007, with a full paved trail around the lake completed in 2013. The nature trail was rehabilitated and expanded into a mountain biking trail beginning in 2010. Students from Fayetteville Public Schools and Springdale Public Schools have jointly studied the water for

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

and

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

classes using the Springdale-Fayetteville Center for the Study of Aquatic Resources on the lake since 1974. After an

risk-based inspection Risk Based Inspection (RBI) is an Optimal maintenance business process used to examine equipment such as pressure vessels, (QOC) quick opening closure - doors, heat exchangers, and piping in industrial plants. RBI is a decision-making methodology f ...

by the

Arkansas Natural Resources Commission Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

describing a consequence of failure submerging the city of Johnson, Arkansas, the City of Fayetteville removed many large sycamore trees from the dam in 2017, and planted wildflowers.

References

{{authority control Buildings and structures in Washington County, Arkansas Fayetteville Bodies of water of Washington County, Arkansas 1949 establishments in Arkansas