From river to farm: Arkansas pump station opens with a splash

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator John Boozman visited theBayou Meto Water District to celebrate it's official opening.

The Marion Berry Pump Station had its first ceremonial pump of water on October 9.

Pulling from the Arkansas River, water will be moved through 105 miles of canal straight to the farmers.

The district worked with engineering firm Garver to improve the station, using federal funds secured by Boozman.

"And once it goes and is used on the farms, it actually flows right back into the Arkansas River." says Daniel Hollinger, Garver Engineer for Bayou Meto Water Project "So this water is fully sustainable in coming out of the Arkansas river and going right back in. the alternative would be additional pumping out of the ground, which that water takes years and years to replace through the filtration down through the ground."

In the next phase of the project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start construction on the final three miles of canals, so that the pump station can move water to almost 100,000 acres.