Business Brief
NWA needs $1.5 billion in wastewater investment
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Northwest Arkansas will need $1.5 billion in additional wastewater-plant investment to support future growth, Northwest Arkansas Council president and CEO Nelson Peacock said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The region has enough wastewater capacity for now, "but it's in the wrong places," Peacock said. That mismatch could shape where Northwest Arkansas can add housing and commercial development.
Driving the news: Peacock previewed the findings from a regional study not yet released as part of his introduction to a Growing Home NWA event attended by about 400 people at the Fayetteville Public Library.
- The council and the state of Arkansas began the regional wastewater study last year and expect to release its findings this fall, Peacock said.
- The $1.5 billion estimate covers needed investment in plants but does not include other infrastructure the region will need, he said.
State of play: Aryana Davin, project manager for Hawkins-Weir Engineering Inc., the firm conducting the study, confirmed for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the price tag will be more than $1 billion.
What they're saying: "The study is going to help us try to be as efficient as possible as we move forward," Peacock said.
- "Because the bottom line is, the decisions we make over the next several years will shape the region that we lead for the next generation."
What's next: A draft will go to a steering committee of local leaders in September. The study will become public after the committee recommends changes and approves a final version, but no release date has been set, the newspaper reported.
- Meanwhile, the NWA Council plans to have its Annual State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report meeting on Oct. 23.