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The Grand Prairie region of Arkansas covers parts of Arkansas, Lonoke, Monroe, and Prairie counties in the eastern part of the state. The White River to the east and the Two-Prairie Bayou to the west serve as borders for the region. Its northern border is Wattensaw Bayou and southern border near where the White Rivers empties into the Mississippi River.
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| A portion of the GPADP is designed to help restore some of the original tallgrass prairie. |
Rich in fish and wildlife, the Grand Prairie was once part of a 500,000-acre tall grass prairie, but because it was uniquely suited for rice farming, all but about 650 acres was developed as farmland during the early part of the 20th century. Located within this region is Stuttgart, Arkansas - the agribusiness hub of the area, and a town widely known as "The Rice and Duck Capital of the World.''
As prairies go, the Grand Prairie is standard. Fairly level, it has few trees, with impermeable subsoil but tillable topsoil. Rice farming began in this area as a result of the ground's shallow claypan, which enables its soil to hold water. In addition, there were once abundant supplies of groundwater housed in a shallow Alluvial Aquifer.
The Grand Prairie area and its farmers have relied on the Alluvial Aquifer since 1904 for crop irrigation and flooding rice fields while the Sparta Aquifer has long served the region as a primary source for its drinking water.
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