Every Drop Matters
Central Arkansas and much of the United States are experiencing one of the driest periods on record. According to state and national drought monitoring agencies, rainfall totals remain well below normal, and Brewer Lake — Conway’s primary water source — has been significantly impacted by the ongoing rainfall deficit.
As a result, Conway Corp has asked both residential and business customers to temporarily curtail non-essential water use.
It’s important to understand why.
This Is About Drought
The current water curtailment is the result of historic drought conditions and reduced rainfall, not because Conway has run out of water or because of community growth.
In fact, Conway Corp’s water sales have remained relatively stable over the past decade, growing less than 1 percent annually on average. Water usage in 2025 was actually lower than in both 2023 and 2024, and industrial water sales today remain below levels seen several years ago.
The challenge facing Conway today is simple: Brewer Lake is not receiving enough rainfall to replenish water supplies at normal rates.
This is a temporary situation driven by weather conditions, and conservation efforts help protect the community’s water resources until rainfall returns to normal levels.
Conservation Takes Everyone
The curtailment request applies to everyone — residential customers, businesses, industries and institutions.
Since issuing the voluntary curtailment request, Conway Corp employees have worked directly with major water users throughout the community to identify additional conservation opportunities. Those conservation efforts have led to meaningful reductions in demand, with some industrial customers reducing water usage by more than 30 percent.
Those efforts, combined with voluntary conservation from thousands of residential customers, are making a measurable difference.
The good news is that small changes add up quickly when an entire community participates.
Planning for the Future
While drought conditions have created immediate challenges, Conway Corp has spent decades preparing for the community’s long-term water needs.
Many of the infrastructure projects Conway residents rely on today were planned and built by previous generations. Employees are continuing that same commitment by investing in projects designed to serve Conway for decades to come.
Over the next five years, Conway Corp expects to invest more than $75 million in water system improvements, including:
- Expanding the Roger Q Mills Water Jr. Treatment Plant to increase treatment capacity to 32 million gallons per day
- Constructing a second raw water line from Brewer Lake to Conway
- Replacing and upgrading aging water infrastructure throughout the city
- Developing additional long-term water supply partnerships for the region
Conway Corp is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and regional partners on future water supply projects that could benefit more than 161,000 people across central Arkansas.
These projects are not reactions to the current drought. They are part of long-range plans that have been in development for years and are designed to ensure Conway has reliable water service for future generations.
A Temporary Challenge
Water projects take years — and often decades — to plan and construct. Fortunately, Conway Corp’s long-term planning has positioned the community well to navigate today’s challenges.
The current curtailment is temporary and intended to help preserve water resources while drought conditions persist. Conway Corp continues to monitor lake levels, rainfall and customer demand daily and will adjust restrictions as conditions improve.
For nearly 100 years, Conway Corp has provided safe, reliable water service to the community, and that commitment remains unchanged.
Until meaningful rainfall returns, every gallon conserved helps. By working together and making small adjustments today, Conway residents and businesses can help protect one of our community’s most important resources and ensure it remains available for generations to come.
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