Agency sets 5 May meetings on state water plan update

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture will hold five public meetings in May seeking stakeholder input about the Arkansas Water Plan update.

The meetings will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants can attend all or parts of each of the meetings, but are being asked to arrive 15 minutes early to register.

Meeting formats for morning sessions will include a general overview of the current water plan and discussion on potential updates; afternoon sessions will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and will include discussions on location-specific water supply discussions.

The first meeting is May 6 at the Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive in Jonesboro, and the afternoon session topic is water infrastructure.

The second meeting is May 7 at the Fort Smith Convention Center, 55 S. Seventh St. in Fort Smith, and the afternoon session topic is drinking water supply.

The third meeting is May 8 at the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center, located at 100 E. University St. in Magnolia, and the afternoon session topic is industrial water supply and mineral extraction.

The fourth meeting is May 9 at the Rice Research and Extension Center, 2900 Ark. 130 in Stuttgart, and the afternoon session topic is agricultural water supply.

The fifth meeting is May 10 at the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Office, 2301 S. University Ave. in Little Rock, and the afternoon session topic is environmental quality and recreation; a virtual option will be available at agriculture.arkansas.gov.

The department held its first two stakeholder meetings in Little Rock and Fayetteville in March.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued an executive order in August 2023 calling for a comprehensive analysis of the state’s water needs; the Arkansas Water Plan was last completed in 2014.