STATE OF ARKANSAS ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ARKANSAS GEOLOGICAL COMMISSION WATER RESOURCES SUMMARY NUMBER 8 FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1971 IN WESTERN ARKANSAS By R. C. Gilstrap U.S. Geological Survey Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Arkansas State Highway Commission and Arkansas Geological Commission Little Rock, Arkansas 1973 STATE OF ARKANSAS Dale Bumpers, Governor Arkansas Department of Commerce Arkansas Geological Commission Donald V. Allen, Di rector of Commerce Norman F. Williams, State Geologist II CONTENTS Page Abstract---- 1 Introduction 2 Precipitation 3 Flood frequency 8 Floods 9 White River basin 9 Arkansas River basin 13 Red River basin 18 Little River basin 18 Ouachita River basin 20 Flood damage 24 Selected references 26 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Map showing locations of flood-determination sites and precipitation stations 6 2. Graph showing cumulative precipitation in western Arkansas 7 3-5. Discharge-rainfall-runoff hydrograph for- 3. Buffalo River near St. Joe 1? 4. Big Piney Creek near Dover 16 5. Ouachita River near Mount Ida 22 TABLES Page Table 1. Precipitation, in inches, at National Weather Service stations in western Arkansas, December 1-10, 1971 4 2. Slimmary of flood stages and discharges 10 3. Estimated flood damage in report area 25 IV FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1971 IN WESTERN ARKANSAS By R. C. Gilstrap ABSTRACT Heavy rains of December 1971 in western Arkansas caused record-breaking floods on many streams. Heavy rains began on December 8 and continued to December 10. The heaviest rain fell from the afternoon of December 9 to the early morning of December 10. Maximum accumulated rainfall for the 40-hour period exceeded 13 inches at Vandervoort. Most notable of the floods was on Ouachita River near Mount Ida, where there is a continuous record since 1941. The peak stage of 38.62 feet was 6.44 feet higher then the previous known maximum, which occurred in 1960, and the corresponding discharge of 95,500 cubic feet per second was 67 percent greater than the previous known maximum. Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs and Nimrod Lake near Nimrod tad the maximum computed peak inflows of 160,000 cubic feet per second and 80,000 cubic feet per second, respectively, for periods of record. No lives were lost as a result of the floods, but property damage was about $2,780,000. 1 INTRODUCTION Heavy rains of December 8-10 in western Arkansas caused out- standing floods on many strews. The storm centered on the high elevations of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The towns of Fort Smith, Wins-Um, Boxley, Buffalo City, Marshall, Russellville, Perryville, Hot Springs, Malvern, Mount Ida, Nashville, Ashdown, DeQueen, and Cauthron are on the outer fringe of the storm area. Flood damage was estimated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at $2,780,000. Fortunately, no lives were lost. This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Arkansas State Highway Commission and the Arkansas Geological Commission. The purpose of the report is to supplement, in more detail, data of stage and discharge published in the annual Geological Survey surface-water records and includes precipitation and runoff data, and estimates of property damage. Heavy rains, which were fairly uniform throughout the report area, began in the afternoon of December 8 and continued until early in the morning of December 10—a 40-hour period. Streams rose rapidly after as much as 13.02 inches of rain fell in the 40-hour period. Rainfall at the 66 precipitation stations averaged 6.65 inches. New. r-cord peak stages were recorded at 11 gaging stations. Buffalo River near St. Joe had the highest known peak stage since the flood of August 1915. Nimrod Lake and Lake Ouachita had the maximum computed inflow for the period of record. 2 PRECIPITATION For 3 months prior to December 1, 1971, precipitation throughout the report area was below normal. However, total amounts of rain during December 1-7 ranged from 1.01 inches, at Captenter Dam, to 3.95 inches, at Ashdown. Rainfall at the 66 precipitation stations averaged 2.20 inches. All the precipitation consisted of rain, except a trace to 3.0 inches of snow which was reported at seven precipitation stations. Very little runoff resulted from these rains, but wetting of the soil set the stage for high rates of runoff the next 3 days. Total amounts of precipitation are shown in table 1. Figure 1 is a map of the report area that shows isohyets for the period December 1-10, the locations of precipitation stations, and the locations of flood-determination sites. The primary cause of the precipitation was a vigorous low- pressure center that moved across the State on December 9 and 10. Figure 2 shows the hourly accumulated raidfall at four recording precipitation stations, fairly evenly distributed throughout the report area. The most intense rain fell in the afternoon of December 9 to the early morning of December 10. Total amounts of rain for the 40-hour storm period ranged from 1.44 inches, at Okay, to 13.02 inches, at Vandervoort. Rainfall at the 66 precipitation stations averaged 6.65 inches. The maximum of 3 Table 1.--Precipitation, in inches, at National Weather Service stations in western Arkansas, December 1-10, 1971 December 1971 Map Precipitation station no. 1-7 8 9 10 1-10 1 Abbott 1.60 0 1.82 3.37 6.79 2 Aly 2.46 .63 7.27 .46 10.82 3 Aplin 1W 1.36 0 2.92 2.61 6.89 4 Ashdown 3.95 0 1.35 .47 5.77 5 Athens 2.92 T 1.63 5.37 9.92 6 Big Fork 3.23 0 1.94 4.85 10.02 7 Blakely Mountain Dam- 2.3 .7 1.4 .2 4.6 8 Blue Mountain Dam- 1.89 1.45 5.03 8.37 9 Bog Springs 2.72 0 2.88 9.42 15.02 10 Bonnerdale 2.10 0 1.30 .75 4.15 11 Booneville 1.75 1.52 4.15 1.45 8.87 12 Buffalo Tower 1.49 0 1.76 5.41 8.66 13 Carpenter Dam- 1.01 0 2.07 .52 3.60 14 Centerville 2.20 0 1.70 5.51 9.41 15 Clarksville 1.96 .03 2.75 4.10 8.84 16 Clarksville 6NNE 1.81 1.78 2.82 3.00 9.41 17 Coal Hill 1.60 0 2.38 4.80 8.78 18 Compton 1.10 2.01 1.89 2.95 7.95 19 Cove 3.17 T 2.20 7.75 13.12 20 Danville 1.60 0 1.65 6.67 9.92 21 Danville SCS 2.24 .57 7.30 .88 10.99 22 Dardanelle 2.04 0 1.07 5.53 8.64 23 DeQueen 3.61 0 1.86 3.25 8.72 24 Dierks 3.47 0 1.97 1.95 7.39 25 Foreman 3.83 .20 3.80 .60 8.43 26 Fort Smith WSO 1.25 1.90 3.61 2.23 8.99 27 Fort Smith WP 1.64 0 2.19 5.35 9.18 28 Gilbert 1.40 1.40 2.26 3.18 8.24 29 Gillham Dam 3.2 .3 5.7 1.0 10.2 30 Gravelly 2.08 0 2.15 7.60 11.83 31 Greenwood 1.70 .33 4.60 4.27 10.90 32 Hector 1.63 .70 4.50 .85 7.68 33 Horatio 3.82 0 1.60 3.58 9.00 34 Hot Springs 1NNE 2.04 T 1.81 1.32 5.17 35 Jasper 1.77 0 1.67 6.04 9.48 36 Jessieville 2.30 0 1.65 2.10 6.05 37 Lock and dam No. 12 1.45 0 2.35 4.72 8.52 38 Lock and dam No. 13 1.47 0 2.47 5.94 9.88 4 Table 'I.-Precipitation, in inches, at National Weather Service stations in western Arkansas, December 1-10, /972--Continued December 1971 Map Precipitation station no. 1-7 8 9 10 1-10 39 Long Pool 1.95 0 1.56 5.22 8.73 40 Lurton 2NE 2.09 0 2.39 6.20 10.68 41 Malvern 2.51 0 3.18 .40 6.09 42 Marshall 1.70 0 .90 4.00 6.60 43 Mena 2.39 1.45 7.10 .75 11.69 44 Midland 1.47 0 2.49 6.35 10.31 45 Millwood Dam- 3.36 .25 0 1.30 4.91 46 Mount Ida 2.7 .5 5.7 .5 9.4 47 Mulberry 6NNE 1.22 0 2.32 5.45 8.99 48 Nashville Experiment Station 3.43 0 1.63 1.17 6.23 49 Nimrod Dam- 1.99 .50 6.33 .27 9.09 50 Oden 2W 2.71 0 2.3D 7.20 12.24 51 Okay 3.41 T 1.44 0 4.85 52 Ozark 1.45 0 2.32 4.99 8.76 53 Ozone-•- 1.98 0 2.07 6.18 10.23 54 Paris 1.88 0 2.94 3.28 8.10 55 Parks 2.00 1.98 2.88 3.30 10.16 56 Parthenon 1.54 1.48 2.65 3.90 9.57 57 Perry 1.70 0 1.70 3.91 7.31 58 Pine Ridge 2.85 0 2.28 8.15 13.28 59 Ratcliff 2.19 T .97 3.53 6.69 60 Remmel Dam 2.05 0 3.36 .73 6.14 61 Subiaco 2.06 0 1.84 4.60 8.50 62 Vandervoort 3.57 0 2.80 10.22 16.59 63 Vegetable substation, Van Buren 1.32 .17 3.04 4.94 9.47 64 Waldron 2.15 1.32 4.05 1.11 8.63 65 Washita 2.30 0 2.00 5.70 10.00 66 Wing 1.86 .53 7.67 .39 10.45 5 ARKANSAS DAITH*N EL Li Art CER 1' ()IR 35' • • NIMROD River L AK es air OL VITA LA CA THE Via, e LAK -i NA v EXPLANATION 06 Flood-determination site 41 Number ceerespones lo refortwee / number in ton/* 1, 34° • X; f 4) Precipitation station I Is Number corn:poets n reference lumber in ton/.