More than 1.2 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the White River below Bull Shoals Dam over six years through 56 sewer system failures, state records show.
According to an article by Chris Fulton in the Mountain Home Observer, the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment found repeated violations of the Clean Water Act between 2019 and 2025, threatening the Ozarks’ karst waterways and trout-rich tailwaters.
Under a May consent order, Bull Shoals must overhaul its sewer infrastructure by 2026 and pay $10,000 in penalties — far below potential fines exceeding $560,000. Regulators said the discharges contained human waste, bacteria, and nutrients harmful to aquatic life.
Read the full article in the Mountain Home Observer by clicking here.
Image: Gena Tate for White River Now
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