The City of Bentonville and FUSE are working together to help one of the fastest-growing cities in Northwest Arkansas plan for stormwater at the scale its growth demands. Parts of Bentonville were built before modern detention standards, and legacy drainage systems weren’t designed for today’s heavier rainfall, while new development keeps pushing into flood-prone land. Because Bentonville sits at the headwaters of a regional creek system, its decisions ripple downstream across the Illinois River watershed. The City has a strong starting point, including a successful bond-funded downtown stormwater project, solid floodplain standards, a new Unified Development Code, and a Parks Master Plan, and this fellowship aims to connect those efforts into one integrated approach.
Starting in Fall 2026, FUSE Executive Fellow Shane Leis will spend 90 days listening to City departments, Council members, regional partners, watershed groups, and landowners, while reviewing prior studies, FEMA requirements, and peer-city practices. In Year One, Leis will oversee development of a citywide stormwater model, coordinate data and consultant work, identify regional detention sites that can double as parks or greenways, and build tools that bring model-informed analysis into development review. Year One deliverables include a citywide stormwater planning and resilience framework, a regional detention strategy and site portfolio, capital planning and funding scenarios, and internal decision-support protocols. By Fall 2028, the work is expected to produce a Council-ready capital and funding strategy and a durable watershed management framework that protects residents and supports resilient growth across the region.
