 The agriculture is a big industry in Arkansas, irrigation is a big part of that. We produce more rice than any state in the country and in order to continue doing that we've got to have a sustainable supply of water. Over the years we've seen our declining levels of groundwater and we've recognized that we have to have solutions beyond just pulling water out of the ground. This is one of the primary solutions that's been identified as part of the state's water plan and when this project's implemented it'll take a big chunk out of the groundwater overdraft that we have here in the state and make sure our agriculture producers have a sustainable supply of water. Years and years of planning to get to this point. Fifty years ago there was a recognition of a need for a project like this. We've had local leadership with the irrigation district for more than 40 years educating people on the nature of the problem and that this is a viable solution. So today is really a landmark day for us and that we're going to be beginning construction on the canals to deliver water to the farmers here. United States Army Corps of Engineers first became a part of this project back in 1996 when it was authorized by Congress for federal investment and construction and since then we've been partnering with the White Irrigation District the state of Arkansas and the local community to deliver about two hundred and fourteen million dollars worth of construction that has got us to where we are today. It is extremely important the Corps of Engineers because you know our vision statement is to engineer solutions to the nation's toughest challenges and aquifer depletion, groundwater depletion and and how we handle that resource is in fact now and in the future going to be one of the nation's toughest challenges. So anything we can do today to demonstrate how the resources that we already have river water can be used to stop the depletion of an aquifer I think are very important and they're going to be an example for how this can be handled in other parts of the nation in the future. Well the significance is about 40 years worth of toil and tears and a lot of money that's already been sunk into construction and the pump station pipelines in a reservoir down the way all we need is a way to take the water across the prairie which is going to be canals with pipelines and this is the first construction contract to move dirt to build those canals and start the pipelines to take it to the farmers fields. The contractors looking for about six months, six to eight months of good weather which we'll put him in the farmers category right now, he estimates I think it's 16 months I believe is on this first contract but during that 16 months we're going to be working on the plans and issuing taking bids and issuing the contracts for the next phase. So the actual construction in the initiation of the next segment will be overlapping each other all the way all the way down as far as did I ever have any doubts I was here with the woodpecker I was here in 2000 whenever we kicked this thing off and before that I've been on here a long time we actually got to the point where this is our last charge we've been on here too long we're either going to do it or we're going home and we're still here.