Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers has announced its support for Issue 4, a statewide ballot measure that would authorize Arkansas to issue up to $500 million in general obligation bonds to fund water, sewer, and pollution control projects.
The Mountain Home-based nonprofit, which focuses on protecting the quality of the North Fork and middle section of the White River, expressed its endorsement in a letter to members this week. The group’s board of directors emphasized the importance of maintaining reliable water and wastewater systems for the health of communities throughout the Middle White River watershed.
“Clean, healthy rivers depend on more than protecting the water itself. They also depend on communities having the resources to properly build, maintain, and update the infrastructure that manages our water and wastewater,” said Shelly Hill, board president. She added that investments resulting from the measure could spur economic growth while preventing pollution from reaching the region’s waterways.
Issue 4 will appear on ballots statewide in the upcoming November 3 election. Early voting in Baxter County is already underway at First United Methodist Church, 605 W. 6th St., and will continue through November 2.
The proposed measure would allow the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to issue up to $500 million in bonds to support projects related to drinking water, wastewater treatment, waste disposal, pollution control, flood control, irrigation, drainage, and wetlands conservation. Specific limitations dictate no more than $165 million could be directed toward irrigation projects. Additionally, the state would need legislative approval to sell more than $60 million in bonds in any two-year period.
The bonds would be backed by the state’s general revenue, with debt repaid over a maximum of 35 years using a combination of state funds and payments from recipients of commission loans. General obligation bonds require voter approval under the Arkansas Constitution, and Issue 4 was placed on the ballot by the General Assembly through Act 578 of 2025, sponsored by Sen. Bart Hester of Cave Springs and Rep. Howard Beaty Jr. of Crossett.
Supporters say the measure could provide low-interest loans and grants to municipalities, counties, water associations, and improvement districts, as well as secure federal matching funds for clean water and drinking water revolving loan programs. With smaller communities facing higher borrowing costs, proponents argue these bonds would reduce local water customers' expenses by allowing municipalities to benefit from the state’s lower interest rates.
This program is not new to Arkansas. In 2008, voters approved a $300 million bond measure by a two-to-one margin. The final funds from that initiative have been committed to projects in Bearden, Bentonville, Tuckerman, Waldo, eastern Arkansas irrigation projects, and federal clean water and drinking water loan programs, according to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission’s latest work plan.
If voters reject Issue 4, the state will be unable to issue new water project bonds, and lawmakers may need to rely on general revenue or other funding sources to meet federal matching requirements and maintain current financing programs.
While the Committee for Water Infrastructure Now for Arkansas has registered to support the measure, no organized opposition has emerged as of mid-September, according to records from the Arkansas Ethics Commission. Advocates point out a 2021 Environmental Protection Agency report estimating over $13 billion in unfunded water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure needs across Arkansas. Critics, however, have voiced concerns about the state borrowing money given current interest rates and its substantial financial reserves.
Locally, the question comes as Mountain Home continues work on a new Lake Norfork water intake and treatment plant. The city raised water and sewer rates in September and is still seeking funding options for the facility.
If approved, Issue 4’s provisions would take effect on July 1, 2027.