Conserving the Sparta (Freshwater) Aquifer of South Arkansas

In 1996, the Arkansas Natural Resources Division made an official declaration of five counties in south-central Arkansas as a “Critical Groundwater Area”. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources designated three neighboring parishes in north-central Louisiana as “Area of Concern”, using different terminology to describe the same phenomenon of depleting groundwater at a faster rate than it could recharge naturally.

Conservation of the Sparta Aquifer freshwater resource began with public awareness in 1997, followed with public outreach, education, local industry participation, civic engagement, and citizen support. Subsequently, ANRD declared as critical an additional five counties and

parts of another 10 counties in the “Grand Prairie” and Mississippi River Embayment area of eastern Arkansas.

In 1998, USGS advised “Union County must reduce Sparta groundwater consumption by 72% from 21 MGD to 7 MGD in five years or less or risk inflicting irreparable damage on the Sparta aquifer,” at the time the county’s only source of drinking and industrial water. Solving this problem was Union County’s top economic development priority. Citizen initiatives and cooperative industry conservation projects reduced consumption by 20%.

In 1999, the Arkansas Legislature produced enabling legislation to allow a county or group of counties in a critical groundwater area to establish a water conservation board. Motivated by knowledge that depletion in Union County was the worst, a water conservation board was formed and immediately began work to design and pay for an alternative water supply for heavy industry. The source was the heretofore untapped resource of the Ouachita River.

A $65-million clarification plant and pipelines were built to supply cooling towers and boiler make-up water. 88% of the funds were provided by local industry and taxpayers, 8% federal, and 4% state.

In 2004, clarified river water was delivered to industry, resulting in an additional 50% reduction of aquifer water. The result has been that water levels in the most depressed part of the aquifer have risen by more than 100 feet in 20 years. Transmissivity testing has found no aquifer compaction. A network of monitor wells is operated in the five original counties and three adjacent parishes to track progress.