Leaders in Arkansas water infrastructure hope for relief with latest federal funding

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has ordered a review of the Arkansas Water Plan, which directs water policy and infrastructure decisions. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service/Flickr)

This story was updated at 10:12 a.m. on July 5, 2024 to distinguish between waitlisted projects and approved projects.

Arkansas rural water systems are looking to $5 million in federal funds to help them improve aging pipes and other infrastructure, the CEO of the Arkansas Rural Water Association said this week.

Dennis Sternberg, the association’s chief executive, said the investment in the state’s water and wastewater infrastructure is long overdue.

The money is part of $60 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by the Arkansas Legislative Council last month for the state’s water needs. In a press release, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders touted the release of the funds as building on her existing efforts to improve water and wastewater systems in the state.

Funding has been a mix of federal and state money, loans and grants, which has blurred the line of strictly state-level assistance. In August 2023, Sanders called for an updated guide to water policy and investment; it’s currently underway.

Arkansas governor orders updated plan to guide water policy, investment

“Under [Gov.] Sanders’ leadership, the state of Arkansas is administering over $2.5 billion for water development projects in all 75 counties using state and federal funds,” according to the announcement.

The nonprofit Rural Water Association aids more than 600 water systems in cities and towns with populations fewer than 10,000, which Sternberg said spans the whole state. The organization provides onsite assistance, certifications and emergency equipment.

Many of the water systems Sternberg sees during his day-to-day work are old, and the funding can help improve the antique infrastructure, he said.

Sternberg said the $5 million is a “blessing” and will be primarily used for purchasing a variety of generators that can be loaned out to water and wastewater systems when needed, such as during a tornado or ice storm emergency. An engineer will also be hired, whether with the federal funds or from the organization’s budget, to solicit bids for the equipment.

$79 million for Arkansas water projects coming down the pipe

The generators are typically used more often during storms, though the city of Parkin in Cross County is currently using one of the organization’s existing generators. Diesel-powered bypass pumps, which can pull water in from rivers or other sources if needed, will also be acquired with the funds, Sternberg said.

“You don’t have a community if you don’t have a good, safe water supply,” he said.

Sternberg said he was unsure when the Arkansas Rural Water Association would receive its allocated funding.

The remaining $55 million will be distributed to eligible entities that are on an American Rescue Plan Act waitlist that the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission approved in December 2022.

Sanders’ press release did not explain this waitlist in detail, nor did the Department of Agriculture respond to specific questions about the list, including whether any proposed projects were rejected and when funds will be distributed.

Agriculture Department spokesperson Shealyn Sowers said the department “developed a project waitlist in [an] effort to fund additional projects should an approved project not utilize all their funding or should additional ARPA funds be made available from the state.”

Projects will receive funding based on readiness to proceed with construction, the press release said. The funds must be spent by December 31, 2026.

Nearly three dozen projects have been approved in as many Arkansas counties, according to a document the Arkansas Advocate received. Needs range from a pump replacement in Faulkner County to a sewer relocation along U.S. 70 in Pike County. A Crittenden County project to replace water lines made the list, as did a new metering system for Lake View in Phillips County.

Lake View Mayor Darrin Davis said the town of about 300 people is in “dire need” of an updated metering system. Customers can be charged more or less than their actual water usage, which is something Davis said is not good either way.

“We don’t want to be cheated, and we don’t want to cheat,” he said, calling in from the farm as he tended to soybeans and rice.

Lake View’s system is upwards of 30 years old, which Davis said is too old for fixing; replacements are needed. Davis was unable to provide a cost estimate for such a project, though he said he’s hoping the state will allocate funds to the town.

“On a scale of one to 10, our situation is a 10,” Davis said.

Decades-old infrastructure is also a “critical” issue for a pump in Conway, said Bret Carroll, CEO of Conway Corp., which manages the city’s utilities.

Three pumps pull lake water into a treatment plant in Conway, though one is 23 years old and needs an estimated $640,000 replacement, Carroll said.

While he is hopeful to receive the ARPA money, Conway Corp. has budgeted to make the replacement on its own, Carroll said. If they did receive the money, however, Carroll said the budgeted funds could go toward other necessary updates to the aged infrastructure.

“Having those three pumps in good working order is extremely important to us,” he said. “…A replacement would help me sleep better at night.”

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