The Arkansas Water Plan is the state’s comprehensive policy for the development, management, and conservation of water and related land resources. It serves as a long-term strategy to ensure that all Arkansans have access to safe, reliable water supplies while supporting the state’s economic, environmental, and public health needs.
A History of Statewide Water Planning
Arkansas has a long history of statewide water planning. The Arkansas Water Plan, first developed in 1939, laid the groundwork for statewide water resource management by focusing on coordinating fragmented drainage and levee districts.
In 1969, the Arkansas General Assembly delegated responsibility for water resource planning to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (then known as the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission). That same year, the Commission was given the authority to begin work on the state’s first water plan, which was completed in 1975.
In 1985, the General Assembly expanded the Commission’s role to include a statewide water resource inventory, an assessment of current and future water needs, and an evaluation of excess surface water that could be put to beneficial use. These directives led to the 1990 update of the Arkansas Water Plan, followed by the next major revision in 2014.
2014 Plan and Current Update
The 2014 Arkansas Water Plan reaffirmed and refined priorities from the 1990 plan and provided updated strategies to address ongoing challenges. It guided improvements in drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, and nonpoint source pollution control.
In August 2023, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued Executive Order 23-27 initiating a comprehensive review and update to the 2014 plan. The update will identify areas of significant change since 2014, including shifts in water demand, water quality, and land use. A key new component of this update will be a structural analysis of Arkansas’s flood mitigation infrastructure and related programs, with proposed solutions to reduce the impacts of flooding statewide.
The first phase of the Arkansas Water Plan update was completed in August 2024. Completion of this phase identified the following six goals:
- Provide drinking water that supports public health and well-being.
- Provide water that supports environmental and economic benefits to the state and supports interstate agreements.
- Use the best available science, data, tools, practices, and technologies to support water resource planning and management for current and future needs.
- Maintain and improve water supply, wastewater, stormwater, and flood control infrastructure and plan for future infrastructure needs.
- Maintain, protect, and improve water quality to support designated uses of waterbodies.
- Reduce the impacts of future flooding events on people, property, infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and the environment.
More information on the plan update process will be shared on this page as it becomes available.
Resources
- Fact Sheet: Arkansas Water Plan
- Fact Sheet: Phases
- Programmatic Workplan
- Stakeholder Meeting Kickoff Presentation
- Summary of the Arkansas Flood Plan
- Focus Group Input on Surface Water, Ground Water, Navigation/Levee/Dam/Conveyance, and Water/Wastewater (October 2024)
- Focus Group Input on Water Demand, Floodwater, and Water Quality (March 2025)
How Can You Get Involved?
To ensure the most accurate needs and future projections, the participation of Arkansas residents is crucial.
Program Contact: Tate Wentz
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (501) 682-0556