by Tess Vrbin, Arkansas Advocate
June 26, 2025
The Arkansas Board of Corrections unanimously authorized up to $50,000 for the exploration of water sources for the 815-acre Franklin County site of a planned 3,000-bed prison at a special meeting Thursday.
The board approved the drilling of up to two test wells for roughly $25,000 apiece to determine the existing availability of water for the site, as well as the possibility of using local municipal water sources.
“We may just need water there to support the construction, at which time we do get more adequate water to maintain the site until we get water from Fort Smith or an alternative,” Board Chairman Benny Magness said.
Fort Smith officials have been considering providing water for the prison, which could require between 300,000 and 500,000 gallons per day, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Magness said he had been told that it would take too long for Fort Smith to be able to provide adequate water infrastructure, and “we’ve got to start moving forward on this site.” He floated the possibility of the city of Ozark providing water.
Officials at Vanir Construction Management, the company hired to oversee the prison’s construction, told the corrections board that the two existing wells on the proposed site were not working when contractors assessed them for depth and water flow.
Wells surrounding the site provided the desired data, but “the variability was so ranging that there wasn’t anything we could necessarily count on,” making new test wells the best option for the project, said Sean Murphy, a Vanir assistant project manager.
If one test well yields “adequate water,” drilling a second one won’t be necessary, but an inadequate water supply after drilling both wells would require finding a new site, Magness said.
The state purchased the land in November for nearly $3 million, drawing ire from Franklin County residents and officials who said they weren’t consulted beforehand. Additionally, the indigenous Chickamauga Nation has said the project could have a negative impact on its burial sites in the area.
In April, lawmakers opposed to the location that would have appropriated $750 million toward the proposed prison. Vanir put the preliminary cost estimate of the project at in March.
The Legislature set aside $330 million for the project in 2023 that has not yet been appropriated. The Arkansas Department of Corrections does have the authority to spend an additional $75 million that was set aside in 2022.
In May, the Board of Corrections approved a general contractor for the facility, and earlier this month, the board greenlit a $57 million contract for the design team.
Thursday’s special meeting also included the board’s appointment of Lee Watson, with Grant Hodges as his alternate, to a new executive committee with input on the prison’s construction. The committee will also include Vanir officials and representatives of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office, Magness said.
Expanding prison capacity has been a priority for Sanders since taking office in 2023. Proponents of the new prison have said it’s needed to alleviate overcrowding. More prison space is also likely to be needed as a result of the Protect Arkansas Act, which eliminated parole for offenders who’ve committed serious felonies.
