1

Arkansas Water Plan MissionThe Arkansas Water Plan is the State's comprehensive planning process for the conservation, development, and protection of the State's water resources, with a goal of long-term sustainable use for the health, well-being, environmental, and economic benefit of the State.

Water Resources “Drivers”Agriculture in East Arkansas will continue

to require irrigation, and farmers will extend irrigation to the remaining acres where it is physically and economically feasible

Population will continue to decline in rural areas

The two BIG issues

Ensuring supply for irrigation while conserving aquifers and surface sources

Maintaining and replacing water, wastewater, flood risk reduction, and drainage infrastructure

Rise in crop irrigation 1936-2010

Statewide demand projections

Current demand is 12.4 million acre-feet per year

Projected demand in 2050 - 14 million acre-ft. per year

Largest demands:

Crop irrigation 80%

Thermoelectric power 11%

Public drinking water 3.5%

Groundwater supplies 71%

Surface water supplies 29%

5

Planning tools California lacks…but Arkansas has

http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/metrics/index.html

1. Drilling logs2. Groundwater

elevations3. Water use

reporting4. Groundwater

quality monitoring

5. Groundwater models

Supply projectionsWe have very abundant surface water supplies

Water quality is generally good

Groundwater supplies are abundant, but can

“sustainably” supply only about 20% of what we are

using.

This leaves a “gap” in East Arkansas by 2050 of as much as 7

million acre feet of water needed for irrigation that the ground

cannot indefinitely supply

9

Surface water availabilityWe have more than enough

surface water on an annual basis to meet all needs-in-stream and out-of-stream

If we can build the diversion, storage, and distribution infrastructure, there is plenty of water physically and legally available (“excess surface water”) in most areas to reduce groundwater use to “sustainable yield”

Crop irrigation recommendationsVoluntary, incentive based approaches

On-farm conservation, storage, reuse, and conversion to surface water

Large projects for diversion, storage, and distribution of excess surface water

The tools should be applied according to the local severity of the problem

Infrastructure recommendationsContinue state general obligation bond program as a source

of financing

Motivate operators of water, wastewater, flood hazard mitigation, and drainage projects to develop plans to maintain and replace infrastructure and to dedicate a portion of revenue to implement those plans

Train boards overseeing public infrastructure and hold them accountable

Closing the groundwater gapThe “Alternatives Analysis” in the Water Plan concludes we

can reduce demand about 20% through conservation

Another 15% of the groundwater gap will be closed when both the Grand Prairie and Bayou Meto projects are fully operational

The key to our long-term ability to irrigate is to put more “excess surface water” to work

15

Water to work withRainfall: 138 million acre feet per year (MAFY)

Surface water flow: 92.5 MAFY

ANRC can permit 25% of “excess surface water”

After subtracting all the water we legally have to leave in the

stream, for aquifer recharge, navigation, fish and wildlife,

interstate compacts, and future riparian use, and multiplying

that by 25%, ANRC can permit 8.7MAFY

Groundwater gap statewide : 8.2MAFY

16

Thank you!

http://anrc.ark.org/

arkansaswaterplan.org/

Edward Swaim, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission101 East Capitol Avenue, Suite 350Little Rock, Arkansas 72201501-682-3979

edward.swaim@arkansas.gov