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The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission on Wednesday approved $83 million for water projects, the bulk of which was a loan to fund improvements at the state’s largest water utility.
The commission approved an $80 million loan for Central Arkansas Water, which serves nearly 500,000 customers across eight counties. The utility recently initiated a 10-year rate increase schedule, which will double customers’ monthly bills by 2032 and fund three major infrastructure improvements.
According to a press release from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office, the $80 million loan will increase funding for one of the utility’s capital projects: improvements to the Jack H. Wilson Treatment Plant in Little Rock.
Wilson WTP Site diagram proposed upgrades
Built in the 1950s, the Jack H. Wilson Treatment Plant is the utility’s “most critical asset, as the plant treats approximately 75% of the water we produce annually,” CAW spokesperson Douglas Shackelford said. Aside from regular maintenance over the last 70 years, no major renovations have ever occurred at the facility.