Wappapello to host two management plan workshops

WAPPAPELLO — Two workshops will be held next week to gather public opinion on updates to Wappapello Lake’s Master Plan and Shoreline Management Plan, a process required about every 20 years at the 8,400-acre impoundment.

The workshops, Operations Manager Bart Dearborn said, will kick off a 30-day comment period ending on Oct. 9 and give residents the opportunity to be involved in the operation of the lake.

“This is their lake and their opportunity to speak to our management plan and offer feedback and insight,” Dearborn said. “We urge them to offer comments, especially if there’s something they’re interested in or feel strongly about.”

An angler fishes for crappies in a creek arm leading to the main channel of Wappapello Lake. DAR/Paul Davis

The first workshop will be held from 5-7 p.m. Monday at the Historic Greenville Museum and Community Center, located at 145 Oak St. in Greenville.

The second workshop will take place from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center off Highway T at the dam.

In January 2018, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials held a “kickoff meeting,” Dearborn said, to gather public opinion on its Master Plan and Shoreline Management Plan updates. Those comments have been incorporated into new draft plans, which are what will be presented at the Monday and Tuesday meetings.

An aerial photo looking southeast shows a portion of 8,400-acre Wappapello Lake, which is undergoing revisions to its Master Plan and Shoreline Management Plan this fall.DAR/Donna Featherston

“This is really just an update to the plans, and they’re very similar to the previous ones,” Dearborn noted.

The Master Plan, Dearborn noted, covers general operations of the lake, but not water control, while the Shoreline Management Plan covers docks, duck blinds and general shoreline management and permits.

According to the Corps of Engineers, a project Master Plan is defined as “the strategic land use management document that guides the comprehensive management and development of all project recreational, natural and cultural resources throughout the life of a Corps water resources development project. In general, it defines how the resources will be managed for public use and resource conservation.”

After the Monday and Tuesday meetings, any comments received will be considered for additions to the plans before a final draft is written,

“With this just being a revision and a 30-day comment period, I don’t foresee any delays,” said Dearborn. “I would anticipate having a final draft pending approval later this fall.”

That final draft will go through various operations offices for approval at the district level in St. Louis before ultimately reaching the district commander’s desk for signature.

Anyone wishing to provide a comment on the plans, Dearborn said, must do so in writing. Comments can be mailed to “Wappapello Lake Project Office, 10992 Highway T, Wappapello, Mo., 63966-9603” or dropped off at the lake’s operations office. Comment cards also will be available at the meetings and online at www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Wappapello-Lake/Wappapello-Lake-Master-Plan/. The draft plans also can be found at that website.