CPRG – River Commons

The Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) partnered with Metroplan and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) to receive funding for restoration of the Razorback Greenway corridor stream and riparian zones through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The River Commons project centers on a 200-acre parcel located along the West Fork of the White River (WFWR) in southeast Fayetteville and is owned by the Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC), Beaver Water District, and City of Fayetteville (Fayetteville). The WCRC is responsible for stewardship and management of the property and development of public access. Additional riparian restoration will be conducted upstream of the River Commons area.

Purchased in 2023, the goals of the River Commons property are to 1) restore and preserve the floodplain and its unique habitats to improve and protect water quality in the Beaver Lake Watershed, which serves as the region’s primary drinking water source and 2) create public access through trail connectivity to the natural area for the community. The project lies entirely within a federally designated Low-Income and Disadvantaged Community (LIDAC) census tract. The estimated combined carbon reduction and sequestration from this project is 41,552 metric tons during 2025-2050.

The WCRC will conduct land restoration, which consists of 102.8 acres of riparian, 34.9 acres of wetland, and 110.2 acres of prairie restoration in the project area. Fayetteville will design and construct approximately 8,993 feet of trail, and the NWALT will develop a conservation easement for the River Commons property.  If funding allows, additional trail will be constructed. The land restoration and trail ties directly to the development of a riverside park and Combs Park, which is currently in the design phase. The park development and its connection to the River Commons will help to complete what will become a “Regional Water Trail or Blueway,” that extends south to Brentwood and north to the White River at AR Highway 45.