More than $3.4 million in financial assistance has been distributed for water and wastewater improvement projects, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday.
"Today's announcement continues my administration's record of delivering for Arkansas communities and the water and wastewater facilities they rely on," said Sanders said in a news release.
The funding includes two grants to the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy: $324,000 from the Water Development Fund to provide training for retail water boards and $216,000 from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to provide training for wastewater operators.
Additionally, the Arkansas Rural Water Association was approved for three grants: $270,000 from the Water Development Fund for the Drinking Water Circuit Rider Grant Program, $130,000 from the Water Development Fund for the Technical Assistance Grant Program, and $270,000 from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the Wastewater Circuit Rider Grant Program.
Sanders said the aforementioned grants will have a "statewide impact."
The governor's office also announced Friday that a portion of the funding will go to three individual municipalities.
The city of Decatur was approved for an additional $2,125,000 loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which will be used for the wastewater treatment plant headworks expansion project. This project serves a current customer base of 8,165, according to the governor's office.
Funding assistance also was given to the The Horseshoe Bend Property Owners Association of Washington County, which was approved for an additional $42,436 loan from the Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste Fund. This project serves a current customer base of 51 and will be used for water line improvements, according to Friday's news release.
Finally, the city of Ratliff was approved for a $100,000 emergency loan from the Water Development Fund, which serves a customer base of 570, the release stated.
Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward on Friday said that water and wastewater infrastructure is "the foundation of community stability, public health, economic growth and quality of life" in Arkansas.
In 2023, Sanders issued Executive Order 23-27, initiating "a comprehensive review of and update to the Arkansas Water Plan," according to the news release. The first phase was completed by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in August 2024. The second phase of the update is underway and will be completed in summer 2026, according to the governor's office.