Arkansas announces $204 million in water funding

The Governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced on November 20, 2024, an additional $204 million in financial assistance for water and wastewater projects for 45 entities.

The projects serve nearly 200,000 residents in 28 counties throughout the state.

“My administration has prioritized investments in Arkansas’ water system and today’s announcement adds another $204 million to that effort,” Sanders said in a press release. “I’m proud to work with our local communities and the Department of Agriculture to ensure every Arkansan has access to safe drinking water.”

Of the new funding, $145,025,170.62 will be provided through loans, while $59,167,217.38 will be offered as grants and loans with principal forgiveness.

“Reliable water and wastewater infrastructure is essential for the sustainability of communities and industries throughout our state as well as the quality of life for every Arkansan,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward in a press release. “We are thankful for Governor Sander’ continued leadership that will ensure the long-term success of our state.

Arkansas has administered more than $2.5 billion for water development projects in all 75 counties using state and federal funds.

Funding for Arkansas water and wastewater projects

A full list of recipients can be found below:

• Arkansas Rural Water Association is receiving a $129,000 grant from the Clean Water Revolving Fund. These funds will be used to provide on-site technical assistance to systems and system operators across the entire state. 

• Ash Flat in Sharp County is receiving a $4,460,670 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,137. These funds will be used for wastewater treatment facility improvements.

• Blytheville in Mississippi County is receiving a $13,819,500 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Emerging Contaminant Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 13,406. These funds will be used to test for and remediate for emerging containments in the drinking water system.

• Cave City in Sharp County is receiving a $609,515 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,979. These funds will be used to replace sewer mains.

• Cherokee Village in Sharp County is receiving two loans; a $231,750 loan from the Water Development Fund to replace the Roaring Spring generator and a $950,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to replace aging waterlines. The project serves a current customer base of 5,061. 

• Clarendon in Monroe County is receiving a $540,028 loan and a $1,620,085 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,526. These funds will be used for water treatment plant rehabilitation.

• Conway Corp in Faulkner County is receiving a $32,495,300 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 67,509. These funds will be used to construct a water supply line from Brewer Lake to the Roger Q. Mills water treatment plant.

• Coy in Lonoke County is receiving a $534,517 loan and a $1,603,550 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 87. These funds will be used to assist Coy in regionalizing with Grand Prairie Regional Water Distribution District.

• Dogwood Community Water Association in Mississippi County is receiving a $335,375 loan from the Water Development Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,345. These funds will be used to upgrade water meters.

• Dyess in Mississippi County is receiving a $3,393,302 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 339. These funds will be used to clean and inspect the existing wastewater collections system.

• Elkins in Washington County is receiving a $32,663,474.50 loan and a $2,336,525.50 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 3,864. These funds will be used to replace sewer lines and truss pipe.

• Etowah in Mississippi County is receiving a $450,667 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 254. These funds will be for the installation of discharge flow meters and monitoring systems at 10 lift stations.

• Grange-Calamine Water Association in Sharp County is receiving a $405,250 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 2,292. These funds will used to install a new booster pump and pump enclosure.

• Gurdon in Clark County is receiving a $4,350,382 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,840. These funds will be used to inspect the wastewater collection system, replace all the pumps, and replace one lift station.

• H2Ozarks is receiving a $600,000 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. These funds will be used to continue the septic tank remediation program in the Buffalo River watershed.

• Hampton in Calhoun County is receiving a $2,291,184 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,181. These funds will be used to inspect and clean the existing collection system, repair major points of infiltration & inflow, and replace worn out pumps due to sand/grit entering the facilities.

• Hardy in Sharp County is receiving a $1,004,323 loan and a $334,774 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 743. These funds will be used to upgrade the wastewater treatment facility to ensure compliance with its NPDES permit.

• Helena-West Helena in Phillips County is receiving a $3,250,000 loan and $9,750,000 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 9,519. These funds will be used for system wide improvements.

• Holly Grove in Monroe County is receiving a $2,500,129.12 loan and $1,621,432.88 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,010. These funds will be used to replace water mains and install automatic read meters.

• Hope in Hempstead County is receiving a $3,685,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 8,952. These funds will be used to repair or replace wastewater collection lines to reduce infiltration and inflow.

• Illinois River Watershed Partnership is receiving a $395,291 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. These funds will be used to continue the septic tank remediation program in the Illinois River watershed.

• Junction City in Union County is receiving a $300,000 loan and a $1,200,000 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 503. These funds will be to inspect and clean the wastewater collection system.

• Keiser in Mississippi County is receiving a $1,088,316 loan and a $3,264,947 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 751. These funds will be used to replace the existing gravity sewer mains by pipe bursting, rehabilitating existing sewer manholes, and rehabilitating the existing sewer lift stations.

• Lafe Rural Water Distribution District in Greene County is receiving a $1,254,955 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,069. These funds will be used to rehabilitate the Highway 135 elevated water storage tank and upgrade the meters.

• Little River County RDA in Little River County is receiving a $4,821,382 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 7,347. These funds will be used to regionalize with the Town of Winthrop, replace mains, and improve the water storage tanks.

• Lonoke in Lonoke County is receiving a $572,088 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Emerging Contaminant Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 4,260. These funds will be used to reduce emerging containments in the drinking water system.

• Magazine in Logan County is receiving a $1,329,072 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a customer base of 340. These funds will be used for wastewater collection system and wastewater collection rehabilitation.

• Marshall in Searcy County is receiving a $642,125 loan and $1,926,375 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,329. These funds will be used to replace approximately 8,300 feet of asbestos cement water lines.

• Maynard in Randolph County is receiving a $405,033 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 379. These funds will be used to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment facility.

• McGehee in Desha County is receiving two loans of $2,880,147 and $350,000 from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 3,849. These funds will be used to upgrade water meters and for water system improvements.

• Mulberry in Crawford County is receiving two loans; a $64,786 loan for water treatment plant fencing from the Water Development Fund and a $859,624 loan for installation of sewer lines from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The projects serve a current customer base of 1,616.

• Oak Hills Suburban Improvement District in Benton County is receiving a $1,375,000 loan and a $4,125,000 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 138. These funds will be used to assist with the regionalization with Bentonville.

• Old Bella Vista POA in Benton County is receiving a $800,000 loan and a $3,200,000 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 23. These funds will be used to assist with the regionalization with Bentonville.

• Oxford in Izard County is receiving a $471,657 loan and a $1,414,970 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 573. These funds will be used for wastewater treatment facility improvements.

• Pleasant Grove in Stone County is receiving a $580,342 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 7,713. These funds will be used for water meter upgrades.

• Poyen in Grant County is receiving three loans for two projects; a $787,415 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Funds for wastewater treatment facility improvements. In addition, Poyen is receiving a $1,842,060 loan and $1,842,060 loan with principal forgiveness from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for regionalization of wastewater with Malvern. The projects serve a current customer base of 336.

• Pyatt in Marion County is receiving a $251,511 loan and a $241,648 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Lead Service Line Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 181. These funds will be used for water system improvements.

• Rondo in Lee County is receiving a $1,450,093 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 166. These funds will be used for the improvements to the wastewater treatment facility.

• Southeast Bradley County Water Association in Bradley County is receiving a $418,926 loan and $1,256,778 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,563. These funds will be used for improvements to the water treatment plant, rehabilitation of water tanks, and replacing creek crossings.

• Tontitown in Washington County is receiving a $6,000,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 7,301. These funds will be used to construct a new water tank south of US Highway 412 and associated appurtenances.

• Van Buren in Crawford County is receiving a total of four loans; a $3,435,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a $4,430,000 from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a $3,750,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and a $2,300,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The projects serve a current customer base of 23,218. These funds will be used for wastewater and drinking water improvements to include gravity sewer, interceptors and waterline and storage tank improvements.

• Wabbaseka in Jefferson County is receiving a $1,978,298 loan and a $7,913,193 loan with principal forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 180. These funds will be used to assist the regionalization with Grand Prairie Regional Water Distribution District.

• Walker Water Association in Columbia County is receiving a $247,257 loan from the General Obligation Bond Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 1,173. These funds will be used for water meter replacements.

• Warren in Bradley County is receiving a total of four loans; a $824,558 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for sewer improvements, a $900,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for sludge removal, a $720,000 loan for the North tank raising from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and a $363,697 loan from the Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste Fund. The projects serve a current customer base of 5,211.

• Yorktown Water Association in Lincoln County is receiving a $3,953,050 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The project serves a current customer base of 7,364. These funds will be used to assist with the regionalization with Garrett Bridge Water Association.