A new state-of-the-art facility is on its way to Northwest Arkansas. This time, it's a new wastewater treatment facility that, when complete, will serve up to a million people across our area.
Ten area cities (Bentonville, Bethel Heights, Cave Springs, Centerton, Elm Springs, Highfill, Lowell, Springdale, Rogers, and Tontitown) have joined forces to create the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority. Their number one goal is building a regional wastewater treatment facility in Benton County.
Governor Mike Bebee was at the groundbreaking ceremony today. He was instrumental in securing the state bond to finance the $41 million project.
"The facility is necessary for the future growth and development of all of NWA. It's an example of all these cities working together to actually not only build something now but be able to expand it and build it for the future," said Bebee.
The new plant will eventually treat 80 million gallons of water per day for up to a million people. But that's not the only plus to the facility.
"It'll be much easier to treat to increasingly stringent EPA standards at a regional facility like this than it will be having a lot of little facilities having to treat those high standards," said Executive Director of NACA, John Sampier.
Governor Bebee says the project is yet another sign of our area's continued success.
"When an area of the country continues to grow even in the face of a national recession, the likes of which we haven't seen since the depression, it is a tribute, I think to the people in the region and the community. It's a tribute to the leadership," said Bebee.
The Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant should be complete and up and running by late 2010. The facility will be located on the Osage Creek in southern Benton County. The 473-acre site is located on Snavely Road approximately 2 miles south of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
Ten area cities (Bentonville, Bethel Heights, Cave Springs, Centerton, Elm Springs, Highfill, Lowell, Springdale, Rogers, and Tontitown) have joined forces to create the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority. Their number one goal is building a regional wastewater treatment facility in Benton County.
Governor Mike Bebee was at the groundbreaking ceremony today. He was instrumental in securing the state bond to finance the $41 million project.
"The facility is necessary for the future growth and development of all of NWA. It's an example of all these cities working together to actually not only build something now but be able to expand it and build it for the future," said Bebee.
The new plant will eventually treat 80 million gallons of water per day for up to a million people. But that's not the only plus to the facility.
"It'll be much easier to treat to increasingly stringent EPA standards at a regional facility like this than it will be having a lot of little facilities having to treat those high standards," said Executive Director of NACA, John Sampier.
Governor Bebee says the project is yet another sign of our area's continued success.
"When an area of the country continues to grow even in the face of a national recession, the likes of which we haven't seen since the depression, it is a tribute, I think to the people in the region and the community. It's a tribute to the leadership," said Bebee.
The Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant should be complete and up and running by late 2010. The facility will be located on the Osage Creek in southern Benton County. The 473-acre site is located on Snavely Road approximately 2 miles south of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
