The Biden Administration is sending $53 million to upgrade Arkansas’s drinking water and water infrastructure as part of a multibillion-dollar nationwide investment.
Arkansas has water problems, many of which were on display during severe winter weather in January. The state health department posted dozens of boil orders due to leaks, pump malfunctions, pipe breaks and more when icy weather caused freezing and leaks.
In Stone County, some residents’ faucets ran dry for about a week while officials braved treacherous conditions to fix a pump along the White River. The impact ran from human to livestock as farmers had to make difficult decisions on how to ration what little water they had available.
In Helena-West Helena, a fragile and aging water system created a myriad of problems that left some residents without water for two weeks. As water officials were plugging leaks in pipes, more sprung nearby. The wells in town are also decades past their prime and need to be replaced.
The Arkansas National Guard was dispatched to provide drinking water during the inclement weather. The state facilitated a mobile shower truck for residents in Helena-West Helena during the outage, and Gov. Sarah Sanders supported expediting a $100,000 loan. (Sanders also supported a loan in the summer of 2023 during a previous water outage.)
But that money doesn’t go far toward needed water improvements in Helena-West Helena. Drilling new wells is estimated to be a multimillion-dollar project, and the city doesn’t have multiple millions.
The federal funds Arkansas is expecting come from a larger package, Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. More than $50 billion will be invested into the country’s water systems, according to a Feb. 22 press release from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The money “will support essential water infrastructure that protects public health and treasured water bodies across the state,” according to the EPA. “Almost half of this funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans, ensuring funds reach underserved communities most in need of investments in water infrastructure.”
