North Little Rock e-Newsletter
Provided by Diane Whitbey, City Clerk and Treasurer
Drinking Water...when you turn on the faucet
to get a glass of cool, clear water to quench your thirst, or fill up the coffee pot to brew your morning cup of ‘joe’ do you ever stop and wonder where that water came from? Central Arkansas Water (CAW) provides water for the Greater Little Rock-North Little Rock area. A regional approach to quality drinking water allows CAW to service seven counties in Arkansas. History Central Arkansas Water is proud to provide drinking water to more than 450,000 Arkansans. CAW is the largest water utility in the state and has been recognized locally and nationally as one of the top water utilities in the country. CAW has been a part of this community for almost 20 years, but the history of drinking water in our area goes back much further than that. Community water service in the Little Rock-North Little Rock metropolitan area dates back to springs and wells in the early 1800s. From the late 1880s to the mid1930s, a succession of investor-owned utilities served Little Rock and North Little Rock. On the north side of the Arkansas River, the private interests included the Home Water Company, American Water Works & Electric Company, North Little Rock Water Company and Arkansaw Water Works Company. The North Little rock Water Company owned the North Little Rock system from 1936 to 1959, when the City of North Little Rock purchased facilities serving its corporate boundaries and its rural customers. Following the acquisitions by the respective cities, separate three-member governing water boards were appointed
August 2022
to oversee operations, planning and expansions of the municipal utilities. In 2000, “Water for our Future: Overcoming Regional Paralysis,” a study by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, marked the beginning of a new era in inter -local cooperation and the concept of metropolitan services for the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock. At the same time, the two cities had a 64-year-old history as water supplier and customer. The UA Little Rock study findings were the impetus for the cities to make a major change in their relationship by moving past geographical differences and corporate interests and looking toward the good of the entire customer base, as well as surrounding areas in central Arkansas. The result was a unanimous decision by the cities’ governing bodies and water commissions to merge into Central Arkansas Water. On March 5, 2001, city and water officials signed a historic consolidation agreement. On July 1, 2011, the utilities officially merged human resources and operations. Central Arkansas Water remains under public ownership. A seven-member Board of Commissioners governs the utility and a chief executive officer oversees day-to-day operations and administration. The utility’s organization structure includes five departments: Distribution, Engineering, Finance & Customer Service, Information Services, and Source & Treatment. Central Arkansas Water is proud to be the metropolitan water serve provider for Greater Little Rock-North Little Rock: a leader on the national level in regulatory compliance, treatment technology and operational efficiency; and a principal partner in efforts to ensure an adequate supply and quality source of water for the region—now and in the future. Information found in a publication provided by CAW.
“Where’s Mel”? Mel has been in hiding the past couple of months...but this month he’s back! Be the first person to call 501-975-8617 and tell us where he’s hiding and win a prize! (Only 1 win per year!)
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