Ouachita River gets $7.9M in federal funds, additional dredging money is needed

According to our partners at The News-Star, the Ouachita River is vital. It provides drinking water for about 150 towns and cities in Arkansas and Louisiana, and numerous business and industries rely on the waterway for transportation.

The U.S.Army Corps of Engineers has secured $7.9 million in federal funding to help maintain the locks, dams and levees along the Ouachita.

Between $2 million and $2.5 million is still needed for dredging the shipping channel.

A group lobbied for the additional funds, including the Ouachita River Valley Association (ORVA), the Tensas Basin Levee District, CenturyLink’s economic development departments and U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto. The stakeholders are grateful to the Louisiana and Arkansas Congressional delegations for their support.