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Little Rock notebook

Sewer-line program wins EPA's award

The city's wastewater utility has been recognized with a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency for its sewer line replacement program.

The agency's Office of Wastewater Management recognized six utilities across the nation for programs created using financing from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

The Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, formerly known as Little Rock Wastewater, partially funds its Sewer Service Line Replacement Program with the financing. The program also is paid for with a $1 surcharge on sewer bills.

The program allows homeowners to be reimbursed up to $2,500 to replace the service lines from their homes to the public sewer main. It is meant as a way to help mitigate sewer overflows at manhole covers.

"This project makes innovative use of new [Clean Water State Revolving Fund] project eligibilities, allowing the [fund] to directly assist homeowners with shouldering the burden of replacing the service line from their home to the utility sewer collection system, and activity that was not previously eligible in the [Clean Water State Revolving Fund]," a report announcing the winners said.

The recognition is part of the Performance and Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental Success program.

Donations of food to trim library fines

The Central Arkansas Library System will accept food in exchange for paying fines all next week.

The Food for Fines program allows anyone with an overdue book to offset the cost by donating one nonperishable food item in exchange for $1 off fines. There is a maximum of 10 items for $10 allowed.

Food collected will be donated to the Arkansas Foodbank.

The program will run Nov. 26-Dec. 2. The goods can be dropped off at any Central Arkansas Library System branch.

Work ongoing, but ramp to trail open

The ramp to the Arkansas River Trail on the Little Rock side of the Broadway bridge is now open.

The work on the ramp and the trail under the bridge are not yet complete. The connection to the ramp still needs to be widened.

"Expect detours, delays and narrow (and perhaps at times unpaved) access through the construction zones through different phases of this and other projects east of the ramp," the city said on its website.

"Understanding that, this connection should be open for the patient, intrepid commuter through the remainder of the construction period," the website said. "This is not yet a recreational corridor. We are discouraging heavy traffic to facilitate construction of the ramps and associated projects and avoid user frustrations."

"We are also asking users to exercise caution when walking or riding through this area," the website said.

Metro on 11/19/2017

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