On Nov. 19, Arkansas officials approved nearly $154 million for 59 water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the state, advancing treatment plant upgrades, distribution system improvements, sewer rehabilitation and regionalization efforts supported by federal and state programs.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Natural Resources, the package includes $81.38 million from the state clean water revolving fund, $54.63 million from the state drinking water revolving fund, $1.12 million through the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities grant program and $16.84 million from state water infrastructure funds.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) said Arkansas communities “are expanding and demanding more from our infrastructure,” adding that her administration is committed to ensuring systems “can keep up with demand so all Arkansans have clean drinking water and functioning wastewater systems.”
Growth centers and rural systems share funding
A significant portion of the projects are concentrated in Northwest Arkansas, where Benton and Washington counties continue to experience rapid population growth.
Bentonville, Garfield, Gravette, Lincoln and the Washington Water Authority received funding for distribution improvements, treatment facility improvements or septic system repair programs that collectively reach more than 94,000 customers.
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Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward told the Arkansas Advocate that the investments will help communities “continue to grow and attract new economic opportunities,” especially in regions where demand for the system is increasing.
Central Arkansas also saw significant allocations. Saline County received more than $11.5 million for wastewater treatment improvements and an expansion of the Ouachita River wholesale water system, which was expected to bolster supply for nearly 100,000 customers.
In Pulaski County, the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority secured more than $4 million for a package of facility, pump station and conveyance upgrades.
Elsewhere in the state, several rural systems received funding for rehabilitation, filtration improvements or meter modernization to address long-standing maintenance needs.
Big projects are moving forward in Arkansas
Clarksville in Johnson County received the state’s largest single funding package, more than $36.3 million, to upgrade its pollution control facilities that serve 7,663 customers. Mayflower in Faulkner County secured $11.54 million for a regionalization project with Conway Corporation.
Bentonville received about $9.62 million for a supply transmission loop to bolster service in one of Arkansas’ fastest growing population centers, and Mountain Pine in Garland County received $7.39 million for sewer system rehabilitation.
Garfield’s $7.5 million award, delivered in its entirety as principal forgiveness, will support major water main improvements. Division of Natural Resources Director Chris Colclasure said the latest round “will provide substantial benefits to the citizens served and strengthen the resiliency of systems across the state.”
Smaller communities, including Bonanza, Dierks, Hickory Ridge, Ozan Creek, Tuckerman and Warren, received Disadvantaged Community Grants for meter replacement, generator installations, filtration work, stream crossing repairs and regionalization.
Additional state loans support emergency wastewater treatment repairs, septic system repair administration and water line extensions in Mansfield, Beebe, Norman and several county-wide utilities.
Deployment of IIJA funding window forms
The funding comes as Arkansas continues to tap into supplemental federal capitation grants through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), which provides expanded SRF funding through federal fiscal year 2026. EPA guidelines require states to provide at least 49% of each year’s allocation as principal forgiveness or grants, which is reflected in an unusual number of grants this cycle.
EPA’s implementing memoranda emphasize that IIJA funds must be committed within federal implementation periods and that supplemental appropriations are phased out after 2026, when IIJA ends.
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A spokesman for the Division of Natural Resources said the agency “continues to work closely with local systems to help them move projects from planning to construction as quickly as possible,” a priority as the IIJA window narrows.
The state has not yet released bid schedules for the new awards, although meter upgrades, smart meter retrofits, localized line replacements and septic system repair typically move quickly to procurement. Larger treatment plant expansions, filtration upgrades, and regionalization efforts generally require expanded design and permitting.
EPA’s National Needs Assessments indicate that Arkansas faces long-term water and wastewater capital requirements totaling billions of dollars.
Many systems that receive principal forgiveness loans serve only a few hundred to a few thousand customers, and Colclasure said continued investment in infrastructure “is essential to the well-being of Arkansans and the growth of our communities,” noting that several projects funded in the November round “have waited years to move forward.”
