FORT SMITH, Ark. — The City of Fort Smith is investing nearly $50 million in sewer system upgrades as part of a long-term effort to improve water quality and meet federal requirements.

The city’s Board of Directors approved $49.2 million in contracts Tuesday for the first major round of construction under a federal consent decree established in 2015 with the Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality. The upgrades include more than 75,000 feet of new pipe and seven design agreements for future manhole and pipeline projects.

Acting city administrator Jeff Dingman says this work represents the beginning of a much larger investment funded through bonds approved by voters earlier this year.

“Earlier this fall, the city issued

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