Rigid Constructors LLC, of Maurice, Louisiana, was awarded a $24.6 million contract for the construction of an irrigation canal, farm offtakes, siphon structures, gravity turnout, pump turnouts, and associated grading and drainage related to the Bayou Meto project near Scott, Arkansas on the Lonoke-Pulaski County line.

The firm-fixed-price contract of $24,602,400 was awarded to Rigid over four other bidders.

The work will be performed with an estimated completion date of March 16, 2028.

Edward Swaim, executive director of the Bayou Meto Water Management District, said the contract will help connect the district’s water pump station in Scott to Indian Bayou.

“The link, about three miles long, will let us move water through the canal into Indian Bayou and deliver water to ‘Phase 1.’ Phase 1 covers the area from Scott over to north of Bevis Corner, then down Indian Bayou south of Tucker to Highway 79,” said Swaim.

He said the Bayou Meto Water Management District, in cooperation with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has cleared obstructions from Indian Bayou and Indian Bayou Ditch.

“We’ve already installed eight pumps and more than 10 miles of irrigation pipe to reach farms off the bayou, with additional pumps and pipe to be installed as canal construction progresses,” he said. “There are four more phases to go, but we already have a start on future work thanks to Senator Boozman, who has secured funding for design and construction through the Corps of Engineers.”

When the canal is finished, Arkansas River water will be available to reduce groundwater dependence across tens of thousands of irrigated acres in the England area, added Swaim.

The Bayou Meto Water Management Project is a long-term initiative designed to provide sustainable irrigation to roughly 268,000–300,000 acres of farmland in the Delta and Grand Prairie regions while reducing reliance on the depleted Alluvial Aquifer.

The project aims to deliver water from the Arkansas River to crops by 2026–2028 using a system of canals and improved bayous.