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Wastewater campaign launches Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau NORTH LITTLE ROCK - Arkansans for Clean Water on Tuesday kicked-off its campaign to get voters to pass a $300 million water and sewage bonding authority for the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. The proposal, referred by the Legislature to the November general election ballot, would help the commission continue to provide grants and low-interest loans to local governments for water and sewer projects. "A lot of times we get up in the morning, turn on the faucet or shower, and we take that for granted. There are a lot of areas of Arkansas that for whatever reason have not been able to obtain clean water systems or sewer systems or waste disposal systems," Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, said at a news conference at North Little Rock's wastewater facility. Expanding access to and ensuring clean water for Arkansans could be jeopardized if the measure fails, officials said, because governments would have to use higher interest loans to finance such projects, increasing consumer costs. Failing to pass the measure would also mean the loss of $14 million to $20 million in federal matching funds, said Broadway, spokesman for the group. Passing the measure would not raise taxes and no general revenue would be tied to the bonds because they are paid back through the projects, Broadway said. Since 1998, when the measure originally passed with 52 percent approval, projects in 65 counties have been funded, according to ANRC Director Randy Young. The state has more than $1 billion in needs for water and waste water projects, according to a recent survey, Young said. Two multi-million dollar projects are necessary in the north-central part of the state, including connecting 22 rural water systems and eventually switching their source from poor quality ground water to Bull Shoals Reservoir, he said. Another project would replace ground water with water from Greer's Ferry in Lonoke and Platte counties. "If this state grows ... we're going to continually have to expand and improve water and wastewater, so there's always going to be a need for financing for that type of infrastructure," Young said. Under the proposal, no more than $100 million could be financed for irrigation projects and no more than $60 million could be issued during any two-year budget cycle without authorization from the Legislature. |
