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Sparta Aquifer Recovery

South Arkansas & North Louisiana “We’re Not California – but We Coulda’ Been”

National Waterways Conference Sherrel Johnson, Project Coordinator - Union County Water Conservation Board

Little Rock Marriott – River Market District

Little Rock, Arkansas

September 17, 2015

Union County Water Conservation Board • 441 West Cedar, El Dorado, Arkansas Sherrel Johnson, Project Coordinator • 870 314-0749 • sherrelj@suddenlink.net

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“Union County must reduce Sparta groundwater consumption by 72% from 21 mgd to 7 mgd in five years or less or risk inflicting irreparable damage on the Sparta aquifer,” at the time the County’s only source of drinking and industrial water.

– USGS Arkansas Water Science Center, 1998

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Problem - 1996 Union County’s only source of drinking & industrial water – the underground Sparta aquifer -- was declining rapidly and met the three Arkansas Natural Resources (then Arkansas Soil & Water) Commission criteria for Critical Groundwater Designation

46 Development and Calibration of a Ground-Water Flow Model for the Sparta Aquifer of Southeastern Arkansas and North-Cen-tral Louisiana and Simulated Response to Withdrawals, 1998-2027

Figure 21. Simulated and observed potentiometric surface for the Sparta aquifer, 1997.

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Eastern Extent of the SpartaAquifer Outcrop-Subcrop

Active ModelArea Boundary

Simulated 1997 potentiometric surface,in feet. Contour interval 25 feet. Datumis NGVD of 1929

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-100- POTENTIOMETRIC CONTOUR--Shows altitude at which water levelwould have stood in tightly cased wells,predevelopment. Contour interval25 feet. Datum is NGVD of 1929.Contours modified from Joseph (1997)

EXPLANATION

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Union was one of the five counties declared the state’s first Critical Groundwater Area by ANRC in January 1996

• Groundwater levels declining 1’ or more per year for 5 previous years • Water quality degradation or threat • Groundwater levels at or below the top of the aquifer

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How bad was it? USGS & ANRC agreed that Union County’s situation was the worst in the state. Some wells in and around Union County were declining as much as 7’ per year prior to conservation measures. Solution? Stop using groundwater faster than the Sparta could replenish itself. Identify alternate source. Simple, but not easy. How much could we use? Late 1990s USGS models indicated Union County must reduce groundwater consumption by 72% -- from 21 mgd to 7 mgd -- in five years or less or risk inflicting irreparable harm on the Sparta, Union County’s only source of drinking and industrial water. First step? In 1997, leadership decided that addressing the declining Sparta aquifer on a county-wide basis was Union County’s top economic development priority.

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                 1997                                          Today    21  mgd  Sparta  groundwater   8-­‐9  mgd  Sparta,  11+  mgd  Ouachita       River    Groundwater  levels  declining   Groundwater  levels  rising,  as  much  as  7’  per  year   one  well  73.9’  since  2004;  over     100’  since  its  deepest  measurement     of  379.7’  Oct  2001    Saltwater  encroachment   Saltwater  encroachment  appears  to  threatened  our  only  source  of   have  been  halted  drinking  water    No  single  authority  over   In  June  1999,  Union  County  Water    Sparta  groundwater  in  Union  County   Conservation  Board  formed  with       unprecedented  authority  provided  in       Act  1050  of  1999,  including  collection  of       24¢  per  1000  gallons  conservation  fee     from  significant  users      No  alternative  source   By  2005,  the  Board  had  built/paid  for       $65M  infrastructure  &  was  delivering       Ouachita  River  surface  water  to  major       industries  

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Good luck – When you’re doing the right thing the right things happen

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December 2005 - “Drowning the Mortgage” ceremony celebrated turning on the surface water tap to El Dorado Chemical, Great Lakes Central Plant, and Lion Oil and paying off $23 million debt 3 ½ years early.

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How are we measuring success

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USGS Monsanto Real-Time Monitoring Well

Groundwater Levels 1942 – 2015

Total Union County Groundwater Usage 1960 - 2015 Aquifer Test Pumping Well in 1947 - 1999 – 2012

Interactive at www.ucwcb.org

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Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, USGS, Intermap, iPC, NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China(Hong Kong), Esri (Thailand), TomTom, 2013

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORU.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEYARKANSAS WATER SCIENCE CENTER

Groundwater-Level Change Sparta Aquifer - Union County, Arkansas

Water-level change, in feet*! Sparta groundwater-level data well

L O U I S I A N A

MARCH 2014

Ouachi ta River

*Shows water-level change from pre-development to April 2013;McKee and Clark (2003).

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LOUISIANA

ARKANSAS

SPARTAAQUIFERMONITORINGAREA

Sparta a

quifer

Pre-Development to April, 2013

0 5 102.5 Miles

0 5 102.5 Kilometers

PARISHES

COUNTIES !

In 1996, the Arkansas Natural ResourcesCommission designated the five Arkansascounties in red as the state's first Critical

Groundwater Area

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At the deepest cone of depression beneathEl Dorado, the groundwater-level change in the Spartaaquifer in Union County from pre-development [1898,McKee model] to 1999 was -340 feet. The groundwater-level change in the same location pre-development to2013 is -260 feet. Because of Union County'sconservation efforts, Sparta aquifer groundwater levelshave risen 80 feet between 1999 and 2013.

Tony Schrader, HydrologistU.S. Geological Survey

Arkansas Water Science Center

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How does the underground Sparta aquifer replenish itself?

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Management & Operation   The Board oversees the project under the authority granted Critical Groundwater Conservation Boards by Act 1050 of 1999. The Board contracts with its largest customer, Entegra/Union Power Partners, to operate, manage, and maintain the infrastructure. The Board, in partnership with USGS, ANRC, & UCCD, monitors groundwater levels and water quality in South Arkansas and North Louisiana. Resulting data empowers the Board to make informed decisions and fulfill its mission to conserve and protect the Sparta Aquifer for current & future generations.

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Affordable Alternative Surface Water Supply Entegra/Union Power Station - $0.65 per 1,000 gallons

El Dorado Chemical, Great Lakes Central/Chemtura, Lion Oil Refinery – $0.687 per 1,000 gallons Mystic Creek Golf Course & Residential Irrigation - $0.91 per 1,000 gallons El Dorado High School – $0.937 per 1000 gallons As of 3.31.15

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Project Benefits Summary – Return on Investments Groundwater levels rising in 5-county, 3-parish monitoring area Available water volume – ground and surface -- increase Water quality degradation appears to have been halted Sparta Aquifer continues to be a source of high quality, potable water Union County has an abundant, affordable supply of surface industrial Water from the Ouachita River The project serves as a model for others to replicate and is highlighted in the updated Arkansas Water Plan - http://arkansaswaterplan.org/

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Future - The Board will continue operate in adherence to the Mission Statement:

The guiding purpose and primary objective of the Union

County Water Conservation Board is to conserve, protect, and

maintain the Sparta Formation Aquifer as a continuing source of

high quality, potable water for current and future consumers by

providing for affordable, alternate sources of fresh water, pursuant

to the authority and responsibility granted by the State of Arkansas.”

Adopted July 21 1999

 Visit  www.ucwcb.org  for  additional  information  

 

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James Taylor • June 20, 1998 Barton Coliseum, State Fair Grounds in Little Rock