§ 15-22-503 - Arkansas Water Plan.
15-22-503. Arkansas Water Plan.
(a) Under such rules and regulations as it may adopt, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission is charged with the duty of preparing, developing, formulating, and engaging in a comprehensive program for the orderly development and management of the state's water and related land resources, to be referred to as the "Arkansas Water Plan".
(b) The commission shall be governed in its preparation of the plan by a regard for the public interest of the entire state. It shall direct its efforts to protect the water resources of the state, including boundary waters, against unwarranted encroachments by other states and the United States upon its sovereignty with respect thereto. Any attempt to transport or export any of such waters against the best interests of the State of Arkansas and its inhabitants shall be strongly opposed.
(c) The plan shall give due consideration to existing water rights of the state and its inhabitants and shall take into account modes and procedures for the equitable adjustment of individual water rights affected by the implementation of the plan. The plan shall be the state policy for the development of water and related land resources in this state and, from time to time, shall be altered, amended, or repealed to the extent necessary for the proper administration of the state's water resources.
(d) All state agencies, commissions, and political subdivisions shall take the plan into consideration in all matters pertaining to the discharge of their respective duties and responsibilities as they may affect the comprehensive plan, but nothing in the plan shall be construed as to impair any water right existing under the laws of this state.
(e) (1) No political subdivision or agency of the state shall spend any state funds on or engage in any water development project, excluding any project in which game protection funds or federal or state outdoor recreation assistance grant funds are to be spent, provided that such a project will not diminish the benefits of any existing water development project, until a preliminary survey and report therefor which sets forth the purpose of the project, the benefits to be expected, the general nature of the works of improvement, the geographic area to be served by the project, the necessity, feasibility, and the estimated cost thereof is filed with the commission and is approved by the commission to be in compliance with the plan.
(2) Upon approval of the report, no political subdivision or agency board or commission thereof filing the report or designated by the commission as having responsibility for constructing, operating, managing, and maintaining the improvement shall be dissolved, merged, abolished, or otherwise changed during the life of the water development project without prior approval of the commission.