Significant Progress Made On Zink Dam And Whitewater Flume Project Along Arkansas River

Progress is being made on the Zink Dam and white water flume project along the Arkansas River.

Crews are making significant progress on the huge project that will change how people interact with the river.

The sign of progress is an excavator slowly removing the temporary dam that's allowed workers to build the new Zink Dam and whitewater flume.

"We are about 99 percent complete. We have one more gate to put in, that's the entrance gate to the flume and that will finish all of our work within the river. And then we have the bank to finish," said engineer Brooke Caviness.

Standing on the new pedestrian bridge being built in tandem with her project, Caviness can't help but think of how far they've come.

"It's pretty incredible. It's one of the great things about civil engineering. We get to put things on plan and see it some to fruition and be built," Caviness said.

Once finished, the River Parks Authority is expected to operate the flume and dam.

Park Superintendent Michael Crumb said they are still working out an agreement with the City on what daily operations will look like.

"We just want to make sure we do it right, ya know so really we're spending the time making sure that we've got procedures defined and developed, making sure that we have a plan to go by. We definitely don't want to do this by the seat of our pants," said Crumb.

He said he's been involved with this project for 15 years and is excited to see it finally happen.

"It's exciting to be here. We're excited about seeing it open and seeing people come out and use it," he said.

Caviness is excited to see her work shared with the public as well. "You can stop and look upstream at downtown, it's a beautiful view."'

The flume, dam, and pedestrian bridge are set to open on Labor Day of next year.