Central Arkansas Water Board of Commissioners members at a meeting on Thursday called on the U.S. Forest Service to deny a permit to a proposed quartz mine at Lake Winona.
The objection, put forth in a resolution approved in a voice vote, states that the mine could create an “unjust burden on water ratepayers.”
The resolution also asks the Forest Service to “formally and permanently withdraw all land within one-half mile of the Lake Winona high-water mark from future mining exploration and reserve these lands for conservation purposes.”
The proposed mine would be located on the eastern end of Lake Winona, less than 1,000 feet from the body of water that was constructed in 1936 with the intent of providing a supply of drinking water, according to the resolution.
The utility said the lake is a “primary drinking water source for Central Arkansas” and its 500,000 consumers.
In their resolution, the utility relates three issues the Forest Service identified in an environmental assessment. First, mining may reduce lands suitable for timber production. Second, it may compromise soil productivity. Its proximity to the lake is the third issue, as sediment is the prime cause of water pollution in Arkansas.
Increased sediment would create problems for water quality, “thus creating unnecessary drinking water treatment issues and increased cost to treat water from Lake Winona,” the resolution states.
“Our watershed program hinges on being proactive in the protection of land and prolonging our good water quality well into the future,” said Raven Lawson, watershed protection manager at the utility. “And this is just one more step we think we can take in the Lake Winona watershed, which is otherwise relatively protected.”
[DOCUMENT: Read the resolution opposing the mine » arkansasonline.com/811quartz/]
Lawson said two to three other mines exist in the watershed but are used “only sporadically.” She described their operations as “low-impact.”
The U.S. Forest Service issued a draft decision to issue the permit on approximately 32 acres on July 2. The decision opened a 45-day opposition period that closes Aug. 16.
The draft decision notice, from Forest Service District Ranger Mike Welker, states he determined the quartz mine “will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment.”
The initial proposal for the mine was made during summer of 2021. A draft environmental assessment was completed in September 2022, and Central Arkansas Water provided comments on the assessment in November of that year.
An environmental assessment from the U.S. Forest Service states the area approved for mining was previously approved for quartz processing, and that it is the “continuing policy of the federal government to foster and encourage private enterprises in the exploration, development and production of mineral and energy resources.”
According to Lawson, the similar proposals come up “every few years” in the Ouachita National Forest, but she didn’t recall having to do so for the Lake Winona watershed.
“This is the first one that I have participated in in my almost nine years here,” she said.
WATER ASSISTANCE
Central Arkansas Water also stated that a program that has distributed a total of over $4.2 million to certain Central Arkansas Water customers for payment of past-due and future bills will close next week.
The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides receiving customers up to $2,000 to cover any past-due water and wastewater charges. It likewise provides up to $2,000 as a credit to cover future water and wastewater bills.
Recipients who applied to LIHWAP before Oct. 1, 2022, may be eligible for a second benefit of up to $2,000 to pay their past-due water bill.
The program’s application period closes Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. Utility customers can apply at www.ArkansasLIHWAP.com.
It was originally scheduled to remain open until the federal deadline of Sept. 30. Douglas Shackelford, spokesman for the utility, said the deadline was moved forward to match the level of funds that remain to be dispersed.
Roughly $1.7 million of the federally funded but state-administered program’s funds is left.
Of the 6,234 households who have received benefits from the program in Arkansas, about half are Central Arkansas Water customers. They have gotten about 48% of the $8,831,149 total expended in the state.
Recipients of SNAP food stamps, SSI payments, TANF or LIHEAP automatically qualify for the program, while other applicants who meet certain income eligibility requirements also qualify.
To get information about the program out to eligible applicants, the utility has sent thousands of texts and email notices to customers who may qualify.
“Any time we’re out in public we talk about it,” said Terry Frazier, the utility’s director of customer service.
The utility urged anyone seeking assistance in applying for the program to contact its call center at (501) 372-5161, selecting option six.
The federal program, which is temporary, is funded through covid relief bills. No permanent program has been agreed upon, said Chelsea Boozer, government affairs manager. However, national water associations are advocating for Congress to implement such a permanent program.
“The need is definitely there, specifically in Arkansas,” Boozer said. “For our customers this is very crucial.”
A similar permanent, federally funded program known as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), provides assistance for low-income families with energy costs.
