Groundwater extractions in parts of the state remain above sustainable levels
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has released the 2025 Arkansas Groundwater Protection and Management Report. The report reflects mixed groundwater trends in Arkansas’ major aquifers.
In the Alluvial aquifer, average groundwater levels showed positive one‑year and ten‑year changes, though five‑year averages declined. The Sparta/Memphis aquifer experienced a minor overall decrease over the past year but continued to show improvement over the five and ten‑year periods, indicating gradual recovery in several historically stressed areas.
Despite localized improvements, groundwater withdrawals in eastern and southern Arkansas remain above sustainable levels.
“Arkansas has been blessed with abundant natural resources, and we can’t afford to take them for granted,” said Gov. Sarah Sanders. “Protecting our groundwater means thinking decades ahead—about conservation, supporting agriculture, strengthening our economy, and ensuring future generations inherit an Arkansas that’s even stronger than the one we enjoy today. That’s exactly what our updated Arkansas Water Plan is designed to do.”
Sanders initiated a comprehensive review of the Arkansas Water Plan in 2023, directing a reassessment of the state’s long‑term approach to water supply, water demand, water quality, and overall resource management. The first phase of the update was completed by the Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in August 2024, and the second phase is now underway, with completion expected in summer 2026.
“Arkansas is ranked third in the nation for total irrigated land and second in the nation in total irrigation water volume. Groundwater is critical to the success of Arkansas agriculture, our rural communities, and our state’s long-term economic growth,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “This report is a reminder that we cannot take this resource for granted. Protecting Arkansas groundwater for future generations requires the kind of long-term planning that Governor Sanders initiated by directing a comprehensive review and update to the Arkansas Water Plan.”
Alongside this planning effort, the department continues to invest in water, wastewater, and irrigation infrastructure statewide through multiple funding sources. Arkansas anticipates receiving $65.9 million in federal funding to support system upgrades, treatment improvements, cybersecurity enhancements, and other critical needs. The department is also launching a new Water and Sewer Treatment Facilities Matching Grant Program, which will provide approximately $25 million annually in matching funds for shovel‑ready projects. Applications for funding opened in late June with anticipated funding awards in November 2026.
“Protecting Arkansas’s groundwater requires both careful management of the resource itself and sustained investment in the systems that depend on it,” said Chris Colclasure, director of the Department’s Natural Resources Division. “General Obligation Bonds have long helped communities access low‑cost financing for drinking water, wastewater, and agricultural irrigation projects.”