Preserving a way of life.

In Arkansas, rice isn't just a nice side dish. As the source of nearly 50% of the nation's rice production, the annual Arkansas rice crop contributes more than $1 billion to the state's economy and accounts for thousands of jobs.

Arkansas also ranks first in mallard harvest in the U.S., and Arkansas's Bayou Meto Basin is home to the largest baitfish production facility in the world.

All of these industries are highly dependent on water supplied by the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer -- known as the Sparta Aquifer -- which is being critically depleted as a result of heavy demand and usage by rice farmers.

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The Bayou Meto Basin is the focus of a $575 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project designed to maintain the viability of major regional and statewide industries by protecting and conserving the groundwater resources of the area. When completed, the Bayou Meto Basin project will divert water from the Arkansas River via pump stations and regulation reservoirs and through a series of canals, ditches and pipelines to furnish water for more than 433,000 acres of cropland, commercial fishponds and wildlife management area.

Pickering provided a number of services related to the project - currently in construction phase - under a contract with the Memphis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Pumping Station #1 gets exceptional rating.

Pickering was selected to design the major pumping station located on the Arkansas River five miles east and downstream of Little Rock, Arkansas. Designed to operate at a capacity of 1,750 cubic feet per second, the pumping station will receive water from the Arkansas River via a 4,800-foot long inlet channel and will pump water through discharge pipes to the 35-acre reservoir, also designed by Pickering. From basic specifications, Pickering brought the project to life, from structural design and architectural layout, to excavation and backfill, as well as negotiating with Entergy, the power supplier.

The project groundbreaking was held in October 2010. Construction of infrastructure work, such as roads and utilities, is in progress with the peak construction activities for the pump station scheduled to begin in the latter part of 2011.

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Pickering received an overall exceptional rating from the Corps that included favorable comments about responsiveness and timeliness:

"Pickering regularly coordinated with the technical manager and was very responsive to changes in design concepts and requests from the government. The A/E delivered on milestones on or ahead of schedule."

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