Posted on December 1, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District is lowering the Dardanelle pool on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to elevation 336 feet beginning Nov. 26, 2025, to facilitate repair work to a miter gate at Dardanelle Lock and Dam. It will take roughly two days to lower the pool from its current elevation of 337.8 to 336.
The repair work is expected to last about two weeks. The 336-foot level is within the project’s normal operating range. The lock will remain closed until repairs are completed. USACE has coordinated the closure with navigation stakeholders.
The miter gate was damaged, and Dardanelle Lock was closed when downbound Motor Vessel St. Bartholomew, owned by Marquette Towing hit the structure on Nov. 21, 2025.
This incident underscores the importance of the MKARNS, a system that drives regional commerce, supports national supply-chain strength and anchors long-term economic resilience. USACE has a long record of engineering, operating, and maintaining MKARNS and remains committed to ensuring its reliability and performance for the communities and industries that depend on it.
More information can be found online at www.swl.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at facebook.com/littlerockusace and through the USACE Little Rock Water Level mobile app at www.swl.usace.army.mil/Home/water-control-app.
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