Clean Water

Refer to (indicated date/page in) recent Democrat Gazette for more info:

8/4/24 pg 1B - EPA eyes Illinois River's pollution

8/4/24 pg 1G - Irrigation projects make progress

7/28/24 pg 8A - Oil leaks from sunken tanker in Philippines

7/14/24 pg 1A - Missouri law limits import of food waste for fertilizer

5/5/24 pg 4B - Water quality testing on the way for area near Tontitown landfill

4/14/24 pg 1B - Regulators revive push for new statewide clean water rules
4/14/24 pg 5B - NWA water leaks present challenges

 

 

 

 

Older Issues:

Unless otherwise indicated, page references below are from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Refer to the indicated source for more information.

NOTE: Info concerning the Buffalo National River and nearby hog farm has been moved to a separate web page.

PFAS in Our Water and Food

6/23/22 - PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), thousands of unregulated chemicals widely used for stain and water resistance, end up in wastewater sludge. State and federal regulators have promoted these “biosolids” as economical fertilizers, unaware until recent years that pernicious chemicals were seeping into groundwater. While still under study, PFAS exposure is already linked to numerous health problems, including…..To continue reading, go to:     https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/forever-chemicals-on-farmland-are-a-slow-motion-disaster/ar-AAYNjtW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=1fb40ed3cb4d47a1b7bb99379032e616#image=3

Lake Maumelle Watershed

Central Arkansas Water (CAW) Recreation Study - Lake Maumelle and Lake Winona provide a high quality and abundant supply of drinking water for approximately 400,000 customers in Central Arkansas. As the local water supplier, Central Arkansas Water (CAW) governs and manages the two lakes. Due to several requests to revise the current rules and regulations to expand recreation opportunities of both lakes, CAW contracted with the Kleinschmidt Group to study various aspects of recreational opportunities while continuing to protect the quality of CAW’s raw water sources. A copy of the draft report is available at http://www.carkw.com/ - (select CAW Recreation Study Draft in the right column).

CAW is collecting Public Comments on the study draft until June 17, 2016.  If you would like to submit comments on the draft, please email them to RecreationStudyComments@carkw.com. You may also mail comments to: Central Arkansas Water, ATTN: Recreation Study Public Comments, 221 East Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR  72202

Previous Information

Lake Maumelle provides drinking water for 400,000 central Arkansans. Property owners have been in dispute with county and Central Arkansas Water officials about the extent to which zoning regulations were needed to protect the lake.

Zoning Ordinance - An original zoning ordinance took effect April 23 after it passed a year earlier with the caveat that a task force would convene to discuss changing the code for the next year. A 25-member task force (including property owners, environmentalists, engineers, and water customers) commissioned by the Pulaski County Quorum County proposed an amendment to the original ordinance

A copy of the amendment is available at pulaskicounty.net/planning6.shtml

8/27/14 Page 4B - Watershed amendment approved - JPs unanimous in passing changes to zoning regulations ...The text of the amendment can be found ...co.pulaski.ar.us ...or at pulaskicounty.net/pdf/ZoningAmendmentLMWZ728.pdf

8/26/14 - The Pulaski County Quorum Court approved the amendment to the Lake Maumelle watershed zoning code after some heated discussion about the merits of the original ordinance. The vote closes a three-year discussion of zoning regulations for the watershed.

8/8/14 Page 1A - Pair heads bid to turn Little Italy into a city ...in the Lake Maumelle watershed.

8/4/14 Page 1B - Team samples streams feeding Lake Maumelle

Pegasus Pipeline routing through the watershed (Mayflower Oil Spill)

About 13.5 miles of the Pegasus pipeline extend through the Lake Maumelle watershed. In early 2013, the pipeline ruptured in Mayflower, AR, a few miles from the Lake Maumelle Watershed. The portion of the pipeline in Arkansas has not been used since the rupture.

11/17/14 Page 1A,5A -  The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has cautioned pipeline operators about the significant impact flow reversals, product changes and conversion to service may have on the integrity (safety) of a pipeline.

8/13/14 Page 1B - Class action granted in Exxon oil-spill suit ...lawsuit seeks either cancellation of the easements and removal of the pipeline from their property or a requirement that Exxon replace the pipeline.

7/30/14 Page 1B - ...south of the Mayflower rupture - Pegasus pipeline ... southern section, all in Texas, ... was restarted on July 9 

Arkansas Water Quality 

Arkansas Water Quality Policy

Community Forums on Water Quality - Get engaged: Identify, discuss and prioritize local water quality concerns at upcoming community forums hosted by Extension. The interactive forums are an opportunity for residents, business owners, local officials and other stakeholders to discuss water quality problems they are concerned about or have noticed in Arkansas' 10 priority watersheds affected by nonpoint source pollution. They are also an occasion for you to meet others in your area who are interested in water quality or starting a local watershed group. 

Upcoming Forums:

Aug. 3 - Morrilton - Lake Conway-Point Remove Watershed, which includes communities in Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Van Buren, and Yell counties. The forum is open to the public. University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton cafeteria, 1537 University Blvd., Morrilton, 5-8 pm. RSVP by e-mail to publicpolicycenter@uaex.edu or call 501-671-2228. For more information, click HERE.

Aug. 20 - Wynne - L'Anguille Watershed, Wynne Fire Station, 1111 N. Falls Boulevard, Wynne 5-8 pm

Aug. 24 - Fayetteville - Illinois River Watershed - Washington County Cooperative Extension Service Office, 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville, 5-9 pm

Aug. 25 - Beaver Reservoir Watershed/Upper White River Watershed, Clifty Community Center, 182 Madison Co. Road 8248, 8:30 am -12:30 pm

Dates for the Bayou Bartholomew, Cache, Lower Ouachita-Smackover, Poteau, Strawberry and Upper Saline watershed forums have already passed. 

Other Water Issues

9/13/15 - An Associated Press analysis of data from leading oil- and gas-producing states found more than 175 million gallons of wastewater spilled from 2009 to 2014 in incidents involving ruptured pipes, overflowing storage tanks and even deliberate dumping. There were some 21,651 individual spills. The numbers are incomplete because many releases go unreported. For more info, click HERE or HERE. [for additional articles, Google AP wastewater spills]

5/27/15 - EPA announced its final 300-page rule to revise the Clean Water Act by further defining what bodies of water the EPA has jurisdiction over.  For further information, see the May 31 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette page 1A.

5/10/15 page 6A - U.S. judge told to rethink ruling on EPA - A federal judge who ordered the EPA to take action to regulate farm runoff and other pollution blamed for the Gulf f Mexico's oxygen-depleted "dead zones" must take a second crack at his ruling, per the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

1/23/15 - Arkansas Board of Health on Thursday approved several penalties against water utilities found out of compliance with the law.

12/15/14 - EPA Improves Drinking Water Infrastructure in Ark. with $13 Million Grant - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is helping Arkansas install, upgrade and replace water infrastructure by recently awarding over $13.5 million. Arkansas Natural Resource Commission will use the funds primarily to provide loan assistance to eligible public water systems to ensure safe drinking water. (from EPA web site)

9/21/14 Page 3B - ...judge ruled that measure asking voters to stop Hot Springs from using De Gray Lake as a supplemental water source will not be on the November ballot ...because it didn't include the phrase "Be it enacted by the people of."

8/11/14 - Mercury Fish Consumption Advisory for Lake Ouachita: http://www.lakeouachita.org/mercury-advisory-lake-ouachita.html

8/5/14 Page 2B - Joint meeting focuses on water sources - (Hot Springs officials) ...have asked for a 15.75 million gallon a day allocation from Lake Ouachita