White County, AR Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

§§ 27-35-101 through 27-35-210 and Arkansas Acts 300 of 1987 and 742 of 1977. It applies to every county ditch and road drainage system in unincorporated White County, so long as that ditch or drainage system doesn't fall under a city's, the state's, or the federal government's jurisdiction instead. The stated purpose is twofold: protecting the county's financial investment in its ditch and drainage infrastructure, and protecting residents from unsafe ditches and drainage systems, particularly ones damaged by heavy hauls, vehicles, or trailers. The operative rule bars any individual or firm from placing, or causing to be placed, any physical object, including pipe or debris, that is smaller than twelve inches in diameter or shorter than twenty feet in length, into a county ditch or road drainage system.

The County road foreman inspects and determines the correct size needed for a given ditch and recommends it to the County Judge, who alone can grant a written exception; a firm or resident wanting an exception must apply in writing describing the object, the reason, and how long it will stay in place before placing anything. Violators face civil liability for all resulting damage, including the county's cost of removing the object from the ditch or drainage system, and collected funds are appropriated to the White County Road Fund to repair and maintain the ditch and drainage network.

The rule sits in Chapter 12, Article I (Roads/Transportation) rather than a separate environmental chapter, since White County has no zoning ordinance and regulates drainage through its road authority instead.