A multipronged approach to source water protection

Central Arkansas Water, based in Little Rock, has become a model for how utilities can protect drinking water at the source. Through land conservation, strong community partnerships, and investments in forest management, the utility’s integrated source water protection program safeguards the watersheds that supply more than 500,000 Arkansans.

“Our forests are our first water filters, and source water protection efforts pay off in two big ways; the cleaner the water is going into the reservoir, the cheaper it is to treat the water at our treatment plants,” said Bryan Rupar, watershed protection manager at Central Arkansas Water. The utility received this year’s Exemplary Source Water Protection Award for Large Systems.

Central Arkansas Water became the first in the world to certify all of its forests under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program, covering more than 15,500 acres. That means practices like prescribed burns and ecological timber thins that reduce wildfire risk and erosion, which keep sediment and nutrients out of the reservoirs while improving overall forest health.

“This extends the useable lifespan of the reservoir as a drinking water source, ensuring safe, affordable, and dependable water for future generations of Arkansans,” Rupar said.

To fund their efforts, the utility established a watershed protection fee in 2008. Customers pay a monthly charge — now $0.90 per meter — that generates more than $2 million each year for land conservation.

The utility also issued the world’s first certified green bond for forest protection in 2020.

“The 2020 Green Bond was what allowed the land acquisition projects to be funded at a lower interest rate,” Rupar said. “The Green Bond in turn allowed us to have matching funds available for a federal Forest Legacy grant that was used to purchase along our main tributary to Lake Maumelle.”

From the beginning, the utility has recognized that protecting source water takes more than funding — it takes people. Community organizations such as the League of Women Voters and the Association of Little Rock Neighborhoods were key in backing the watershed protection fee, while volunteers regularly join in cleanup events.

The utility also prioritizes education through programs like the Citizens Water Academy, which provides community members a behind-the-scenes look at how water is sourced, treated and distributed. The Forest to Faucets program is school-based and connects the next generation to the importance of forest ecosystems in maintaining drinking water.

“The best time to implement a source water protection program was 20 years ago,” Rupar said. “The second best time is now.”