Arkansas Water Resources

Increases in water use, population, pollution and the effects of global warming have made the availability of water a serious concern in many parts of the United States. Arkansas, for the time being, appears to be in the fortunate position of having enough water to meet its needs. It is simply a matter, in some cases, of economically transporting the water to where it needs to be.

Central

• According to Jim McKenzie, executive director of Metroplan, water drawn from Lake Maumelle will be adequate to meet the region's demand for at least 60 years. If a point comes when Lake Maumelle can no longer meet demand, Central Arkansas Water (CAW), the regional water authority, has permission to drain 120 million gallons per day from DeGray Lake thanks to a deal signed between the Little Rock Municipal Water Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CAW is also working, as of 2011, to secure the rights to additional supplies of water from Lake Ouachita.

Northwest

• Northwestern Arkansas has a population of 250,000 and uses about 42 million gallons of water per day according to InArkansas.com. Currently all of this supply comes from Beaver Lake, which can continue to be used sustainably at up to 120 million gallons per day. The water in Beaver Lake is also protected for use by the area for its water supply and hydroelectric power, and because Beaver Water District's agreement is with the Army Corps of Engineers, it would take an act of Congress to divert it for any other purposes.

East

• In eastern Arkansas, agriculture and industry have caused a potential problem with the water supply. For heavy water users like these, it is less expensive to drill wells for water than it is to have the water piped in from rivers and lakes. All of these wells are depleting the groundwater at unsustainable rates. According to Edward Swaim of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, steps are being taken to ease the problem. The commission and the Army Corps of Engineers are working to create two new surface water basins and are attempting to find economical ways to divert water from the Ouachita River.

Pollution

• While Arkansas likely has an adequate supply of water for the forseeable future, it is also important that the water remain pure enough to use. Currently 39 percent of water pollution in Arkansas comes from agricultural runoff, 20 percent from municipal sources, 12 percent from industry and construction and the remainder from unknown sources. Regional water authorities should have up-to-date information on hand about the safety of and contaminants found in local drinking water.