Fort Smith Approves $2.26M Sewer Oversight Deal
The Board of Directors voted 4-3 to hire Arcadis to manage consent decree projects for the city's sewer system.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
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The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved a consent decree management agreement with Arcadis at a cost not to exceed $2,256,000 for one year of oversight. The vote came after a previous Arcadis agreement of nearly $2.5 million was tabled at the Oct. 20 meeting.
Why it matters
The agreement addresses a 2015 consent decree with federal and state agencies requiring Fort Smith to upgrade its sewer system at a cost exceeding $200 million over 12 years. Director Kemp said the project's magnitude and remaining work require outside management.
The first-year cap of $2,256,000 is below the nearly $2.5 million Arcadis agreement the board tabled on Oct. 20. The board's 4-3 vote approved the contract, with a possible three-year term to follow after the first year.
The players
Arcadis
Arcadis is a global engineering firm headquartered in the Netherlands with an office in Little Rock, and it previously completed consent decree requirements in Chicago.
Fort Smith Board of Directors
The Fort Smith Board of Directors is the city's governing body that voted 4-3 to approve the Arcadis agreement.
The details
A panel of city staff reviewed three firms and recommended Arcadis, which will work with city staff to oversee consent decree projects and ensure federal compliance. Design work for 117,990 feet of pipe and 567 manholes is nearly complete, with design packages expected to go out to bid over the next six months.
Timeline
2015: Fort Smith entered the consent decree with the Justice Department, the EPA, and the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality.
July: The city was granted an extension of the original Jan. 2, 2027 deadline to June 30, 2038.
Sept. 15: A city memo recommended Arcadis after reviewing three firms.
Oct. 20: The board tabled a previous Arcadis agreement of nearly $2.5 million.
Nov. 3, 2026: The board approved the $2,256,000 agreement 4-3.
Market Landscape
Fort Smith's 2015 consent decree obligates the city to a sewer upgrade exceeding $200 million over 12 years, and this contract is the latest step in that federally mandated program. Hiring an outside firm to manage the work reflects the scale of compliance cities face under environmental consent decrees.
Fort Smith residents will see the sewer upgrade funded through city spending over the next 12 years, which will require sustained rate and budget decisions. The contract cap and the three-year renewal option determine how much of that cost the city commits to outside oversight.
The takeaway
Large environmental compliance programs often depend on outside expertise, and Fort Smith's choice to hire an engineering firm shows how cities manage multi-year federal mandates. Residents should watch the upcoming bid packages and renewal vote, which will show how the sewer work is progressing.
What happens next
The Arcadis program will begin with a 90-day launch period, and design work will be sent out to bid over the next six months.
Further reading
Explore more Fort Smith People coverage for local leadership and personnel context.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Rivervalleydemocratgazette.
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