Next year many of the trees, some of which residents say date back half a century, will be removed roots and all — a move officials say is needed to protect the levee's integrity. The Riverdale Levee Improvement District's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last week to issue $ 375, 000 in bonds to cover the cost of removing all trees and other plants with trunks measuring more than 2 inches in diameter.

When the work is done, gone will be a thicket of trees and brush at the levee's north end, just past a little man-made lake in the Round River Condominiums. A wooded area between Rebsamen Road and the railroad tracks, and a hedge that borders steps leading to the riverfront beside a home in Canal Pointe will also be cleared.

While some offered timid support or said they hadn't heard of the plan, others said it would be a shame to lose stunning trees that pre-dated the developments in which they lived. Trees growing on the levee and those with roots extending into the levee will be cleared.

"Some of the trees involved are probably more than 30 years old," said Marion Burton, the chairman of the board of commissioners for the 31-year-old levee district.

The private three-member commission oversees the rectangular-shaped district between the Arkansas River and Cantrell Road, stretching from the Rebsamen Golf Course to Cottondale Lane.

While levees are operated and maintained by local levee boards, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers inspects them annually. In order for the area to qualify for flood insurance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the levee must pass inspection.

The Riverdale levee has never been rated "unacceptable" — essentially a failing grade by the Corps. The agency also issues acceptable or minimally acceptable ratings, said Tony Hill, an emergency management specialist for the Corps' Little Rock district.

Since at least 1998, the earliest inspection report Hill had on hand, the Riverdale District levee has been rated minimally acceptable because of the amount of trees and other vegetation growing on and near it, Hill said.

Some areas, particularly at the north end of the levee and in spots near the railroad tracks, have a dense thicket, while in others there are just a few trees that are close enough to the levee to pose a threat.

It is unclear how much it will cost to remove the trees and plants, Burton said. This month the commission will seek bids on the project. The last estimates pegged removing the trees along the riverfront at $ 160, 000. But those estimates are a few years old.

If the project cost exceeds the amount the bond would cover, Burton said, the commission will have to go back to the drawing board. About $ 9, 000 of the bond money will go to covering the costs of the 15-year bonds, while the remainder is for the project itself.

About 27 percent of the district's annual assessments is paid by Alltel Corp., which owns nine parcels of land in the district, according to district documents. Another 13 percent is paid by Winrock International, which owns 10 parcels. This year the district expects to collect about $ 75, 000. Assessments were increased from about $ 45, 000 to help pay for the tree removal.

Burton said he hopes the work will start early next year. Access will be difficult to some areas along the waterfront. The project will entail not just chopping down trees and clearing vegetation, but filling any holes left by their removal.

Vince Floriani, a design review engineer for the city of Little Rock, said that there is an exemption to the city's land alteration ordinance that allows for trees to be removed to protect public health and safety and that the work on the levee should fall under that exemption. He said the ordinance usually restricts cutting to no more than seven 6-inch diameter trees a year. There is no limit to the number of trees under 6 inches in diameter that can be cut.

This is cache, read story here