Limited tours of Bull Shoals Dam resume

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Public tours of one of the largest dams in the southeastern United States will resume this winter but on a limited basis because of continuing security concerns since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Bull Shoals Dam on the White River will be the first among the 25 dams in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Little Rock District to conduct regularly scheduled tours after the attacks six years ago, district spokeswoman Tammy Moody said.

Lack of funding also has kept the corps from starting up tours again, she said. But the agency worked out a plan with Bull Shoals-White River State Park to conduct the program with state staff and volunteers from the park's visitors center that overlooks the dam.

"They will take them in and show them some things. They will go down into a part of the dam, not an area where we are concerned about security, but probably the generator flow where they can see the big units," said Tracy Fancher, the corps' operations manager who oversees the dam.

Fancher describes the public works project as a large concrete structure, remarkable for its size and "true multipurpose" features of flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation and drinking water. Completed in 1951, the dam was one of the largest engineering projects ever undertaken when construction began in 1947. The dam stretches 2,256 feet across the river, is 256 feet high from the streambed and amounts to 2.1 million cubic yards of concrete.

Starting out, Fancher said, groups of about 15 will tour the dam on the weekends for about $2 to $3 a person. They will meet at the visitors center and get instructions on the restrictions, such as whether they can take cameras. They will travel by van, through a locked gate, to the dam, where they will go up some steps and into the structure. The entire tour will take about 35 minutes.

"It's not going to be anything unusual," Fancher said. But "when you can see, smell, hear, touch something you have a lot better appreciation of it. And that's part of the idea. We want them to experience that."

Originally developed for flood control, Bull Shoals also has eight generators to produce electricity. The Southwest Power Administration of the Department of Energy markets the power wholesale to utility companies in the southwest United States. Other dams in the region typically have only two generators, Fancher said.

Bull Shoals Lake, the largest in Arkansas, covers more than 45,000 acres and is hugely popular among campers, boaters, swimmers and others looking for outdoor recreation. The cold waters released from the dam create trout heaven for anglers along about 60 miles of the White River.

At the state park's James A. Gaston Visitor Center, exhibits tell the story of the White River and the dam. Built for $4.8 million and opened a year ago, the center was named in honor of state parks commission member and resort-owner Jim Gaston of Lakeview. Gaston is credited with helping make the area famous to outdoor enthusiasts and -- along with former district engineer Col. Wally Walters -- with getting the tours back in play.