|
What is the Water/Wastewater Advisory
Committee (WWAC) and how can the WWAC assist your community?
The WWAC was implemented in 1992 and received
national recognition as a unique model because of the cooperative
efforts of the funding and regulatory agencies involved. Four state
agencies partner in support of water and wastewater services. The
WWAC provides project development guidance and recommends project
financing to communities through its application process.
How often does the committee meet and for
what purpose?
Representatives from the member agencies meet
the first Wednesday of each month to review pre-applications for
water/wastewater projects. The WWAC meetings are open to the public,
and potential applicants may attend meeting(s). Projects have to be
submitted to David Fenter of the Arkansas Natural Resources
Commission by the 15th of the month to make the agenda
for the next meeting
Who are the partners?
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
Arkansas Department of Health
Arkansas Economic Development Commission
Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural
Development
Community Resource Group
What types of projects can be funded?
Water and/or Wastewater Projects, including:
Treatment Plants
Distribution Lines
Collection Lines
Water and/or Wastewater Service Extensions
Elevated or Ground Storage Tanks
New Water Sources – Wells, Other Systems, etc.
What are the sources of funds used to
fund Water and Wastewater projects?
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
administers the funds from the State Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) program used for Water and Wastewater projects.
Nonentitlement cities and counties are eligible to apply for these
State CDBG funds. Projects funded must certify that at least 51
percent of the persons served are low and moderate income based upon
the HUD Section 8 income limits. You can contact David Stowers at
501-682-3949 or
david.stowers@arkansas.gov for more information about the State
CDBG water and wastewater program.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission also
administers two other Federal and three State programs which provide
financial assistance through loans and grants to Arkansas entities
for water and wastewater projects. Funds can be used for new or
existing systems. You can contact Mike Chandler at 501-682-0547 or
mike.chandler@arkansas.gov for information on the programs
available through the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.
The USDA-Rural Development awards loan and
grant funds to entities. Funds are used for new or existing
systems. You can contact Jerry Virden at 501-301-3268 or
jerry.virden@ar.usda.gov for more information on the USDA –
Rural Development programs.
The Community Resource Group assists entities
in successful operation and maintenance of water/wastewater systems
as well as short term financing. You can contact Gregory Dale at
501-228-7197 or
gdale@crg.org for more information about their funding and
technical assistance programs.
What has to be submitted to the
Water/Wastewater Advisory Committee?
The Water/Wastewater Advisory Committee has
developed guidance for what has to be included in a submittal.
There are separate guidance documents for Water projects and
Wastewater Projects.
How long does this process take?
Typically, the review of a project will take a
month. However, if the information submitted is not complete or the
agencies reviewing the information have questions, the Committee
will send out a comment letter asking for additional information.
Once each agency is satisfied, the Committee will provide a
recommendation letter listing the potential funding sources for the
project. The Committee will not dictate the source of
funding that must be used.
David Fenter from the Arkansas Natural
Resources Commission is the current Chairman of the Committee. You
can contact him for assistance with infrastructure needs. He can be
reached at 501-682-0543 or
dave.fenter@arkansas.gov.
Forms and Guidance for Download
There are three things that have to be
submitted to the Committee in order to have your project reviewed:
1. WWAC Pre-Application Form
2. Standard Form 424
3. Preliminary Engineering Report
The Committee separates projects into Water and
Wastewater and has forms and guidance documents for each type of
project.
For Water Projects:
You can download a
copy of the WWAC Pre-Application Form here.
You can download a
copy of the Standard Form 424 here.
You can download
Guidance for the preliminary Engineering Report here.
For Wastewater Projects:
You can download a
copy of the WWAC Pre-Application Form
here.
You can download a
copy of the Standard Form 424 here.
You can download
Guidance for the preliminary Engineering Report here.
|
