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The Illinois River runs through the Siloam Springs Kayak Park (Park) in Benton County. Originally designed for boaters to enjoy the modified-natural kayak waves, the Park attracts families and other people who want to wade, swim, and fish in the Illinois River, while picnicking at the Park. The heavy public use of the small area has destroyed most of the vegetation along the Park-side of the Illinois River and large flood events eroded soils and vegetation and disturbed boulders placed during the initial Park construction. The City of Siloam Springs wanted to establish a healthy riparian along the Illinois River through the Park and encourage park users to picnic away from the streamside. The Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) are leading experts in stream morphology and river restoration that includes a design component of establishing native riparian along streams in Northwest Arkansas (NWA). The Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP) requested the WCRC to develop a scope of work (SOW) to re-establish a healthy stand of native vegetation along the upstream end of the Park.
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