BENTON — Short on options and time to find a longterm source of drinking water, Saline County officials are exploring whether to build a reservoir in a remote pocket of the county.
With its steady growth, the county is projected to exhaust its existing water sources in eight years. And a plan to tap Lake Ouachita - the solution that county officials have considered most of this decade - is in jeopardy.
County Judge Lanny Fite has asked the Natural Resources Conservation Service to study the proposal to put a reservoir and dam on timberland - the first step in a lengthy and involved process.
Water officials expect it to be cheaper than pumping water from Lake Ouachita, though they don't yet have cost estimates. A key benefit, theysay, is that local water authorities would have control over the residents' main drinking water source.
The Saline Watershed Alliance, a 12-member group charged with securing a long-term drinking source, would own the dam. The group supports the proposal, though members acknowledge there are several hurdles to clear.
"The good thing about this reservoir ... is it's first and foremost for drinking water," Fite said, adding that Lake Ouachita also is used to generate power, for recreation and provides flood protection.
TAKING STEPS
No one thinks building a reservoir will be easy, as it has to meet a slew of federal standards. And someone has to pay for it.
The county has made similar attempts in previous years but hit roadblocks.
The first step is a feasibility study to see if the proposed pool can support the county's demand, if good water quality is expected and how much it will cost, among other things.
Fite plans to seek Quorum Court approval to pay for that study, if the fee is "reasonable."
The county also will have to do an environmental-impact study. A number of environmental issues - say if an endangered species is found in the area - could kill the idea.
Eventually, the county will have to seek a series of permits, certifications and assessments from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.
"Saline County is certainly big enough to provide the expertise" to operate the reservoir, said Jon Sweeney, deputy director and chief engineer at the state's natural resources commission.
All of this is contingent upon a land deal. Then the Saline Watershed Alliance will have to buy the 2,170-acre site owned by Weyerhaeuser.
Fite said talks with the company were positive, adding, "We weren't thrown out the door."
Then comes what may prove to be the toughest battle: persuading voters to approve a sales tax.
It's one of only two Arkansas counties - Monroe being the other - without a countyimposed sales tax. Fite said he would likely seek a three-eighths percent tax to build the reservoir and dam.
If the tax is approved, the county will have to see whether there is a legal way to transfer funds to the Saline Watershed Alliance - the entity that will own the dam. Grant money may also be available.
It's unclear if the alliance would purchase only the land needed for the reservoir and the300-foot buffer around it or the entire watershed area. Buying the watershed area would giveofficials more control over what would happen near the water.
The reason the reservoir could ultimately be cheaper than getting water from Lake Ouachita is a matter of gravity, said Bob McKeon, president of the Saline Watershed Alliance.
Water from Lake Ouachita would have to be pumped out, whereas the water from the reservoir would flow downward to communities.
"It will gravity-feed right into Benton, and if we decide to build a treatment facility up there, it would gravity-feed into Saline County," he said.
A GROWING AREA
Meanwhile, there is still hope that Lake Ouachita will be a viable source. Other central Arkansas communities are counting on it.
For the past five years, the Mid-Arkansas Water Alliance, which has 27 utilities that serve more than 50 communities, has worked to secure water from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersowned lake.
Recently, the Corps told water officials that Blakely Mountain Dam's drainage system has potential seepage problems that need to be studied, causing a delay of three to five years.
Steve Morgan, president of that alliance, said the news came as a surprise. But he said the alliance has been exploring an interim plan.
The group plans to vote this week on a new allotment request. It is requesting the same amount - 20 million gallons a day - from the lake, but it would come from a different pool of water, hopefully avoiding the dam issue.
Morgan expects the request to be approved within two years.
Still, it wouldn't solve all Saline County's water problems. They say they will need more water from the lake in coming decades than the Corps is currently prepared to approve.
The county is expected to grow from around 102,00 people to around 144,000 by 2030. The water needs by then are expected to more than double.
They see the reservoir as a better solution.
"This is almost a plan A instead of a plan B," said Ray Gabbard, vice president of the Saline Watershed Alliance.
Arkansas, Pages 19, 24 on 03/16/2008