In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Needs Survey for Arkansas estimated $5.4 billion worth of sewer improvement needs over a 20-year period. Now imagine a strategic reinvestment tool that secures public health, keeps local waters clean, and multiplies community impact. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) is that tool, and now is the time for Congress to re-authorize it for the benefit of communities across Arkansas and America.

In Arkansas, the CWSRF has turned $421 million in federal appropriations into $1.55 billion for clean, safe water across the state. This is one of the best examples of effective collaboration between federal, state and local partnerships for building critical community infrastructure. The CWSRF has enabled communities of every size to fix aging sewer systems with low-interest loans and grants. When those loans are repaid, the money is reinvested in new projects, creating a self-sustaining cycle of local reinvestment.

Arkansas is fortunate in that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders understands Arkansas' water infrastructure needs, and her administration has used these and other funds........

© Arkansas Online