At the March 11 city council meeting, aldermen listened to Public Works Director Simon Wiley and Zane Lewis of McClelland Engineering evaluate numerous water leaks in town. Wiley said a shutdown of pipes on Tuesday morning at the water tower at the Inn of the Ozarks would help to figure out who will be affected when new parts are installed.
Alderman Terry McClung asked if it was isolated to that area, and Wiley responded that they would be cutting through thick, old cast iron in order to get at the problem area. McClung asked again if it included other areas, as in front of Hart’s, and Wiley said that leak had been fixed.
There is exploration ongoing near the Queen Anne Mansion and Resort that Wiley said he hoped would be eliminated by the end of the week. He first said there were two, and then revised that to four leaks currently being worked on – Planer Hill, the water tower, the Transit Center near the courthouse, and a fire hydrant on Spring St.
He said Public Works is trying to schedule the repairs on Mondays in order to not disrupt traffic.
Resident Pat Matsukis asked if the $6 million for the sewer treatment plant would be enough and if the plant would soon be obsolete. She pointed out that with sewer leaks and struggling infrastructure, her homeowner’s insurance company had informed her that they would not provide sewer damage coverage in Eureka Springs because of the on-going issues.
Alderman Autumn Slane referenced Matsukis’s questions, and at first Wiley dismissed them, saying he didn’t know of any sewer leaks. However, alderman Harry Meyer said that the point he believed Matsukis was making was water infiltration into sewer lines causing damaging back-ups.
Wiley admitted that the city had some of these problems but added that all cities deal with “in flow and infiltration,” and that it was one of the situations Public Works has been addressing.
Alderman Steve Holifield asked if there were any way to inform the public of backflow valves that can be installed on pipes. McClung said that he’d heard that backflow valves weren’t very effective, and Wiley agreed, but said they were part of international code to install them, which is recent, meaning many of the Victorian built homes may not have them.
Wiley said he preferred a “pop-off on the clean out,” a cap on the pipe that pops off in the event of backflow that allows sewage to flow out. He said that he would mention both plumbing back ups on the Public Works Facebook page and on the back of paper water bills.
Slane asked about the “ancient infrastructure” and if there was a way to give homeowners some protection. Mayor Butch Berry mentioned that there is insurance people can get for sewer, water, and gas lines.
Zane Lewis of McClelland took over and discussed what is going on to update the plant and get funding. He said progress is being made but not as fast as they would like. Updates are being made to the plant, parts are being replaced, and back-ups of those parts kept.
Lewis is putting together a report for the DEQ in order to get loans and grants. McClelland is also doing a rate study to see how much water is being used and where and how rates have been increased in the past. Wiley said the rate analysis would develop a five-year plan to pay for starting to replace the infrastructure in the upcoming years.
Meyer asked if the pipes were being mapped and tracked using GIS, and Wiley said he had an old laptop they are recovering files from and starting to create GIS maps of the pipes, and that he has a surveying instrument and a login with ARDOT that will help with accuracy.
Council seat applications and more
Applicants for Ward 1 Position 2 are David Riordan, Susane Gruning, Michael Welch and Marticia Hancook. In Ward 2 Position 1, Anna Smedley and David Avanzino tossed their names into the hat. Council will vote on and swear in two aldermen at the March 25 meeting.
Samantha Jones of Eureka Springs Hospital announced that there will be a town hall meeting Thursday March 14 in the Aud at 2 p.m., and she invited members of the public to learn about the hospital’s new status and what changes are happening, primarily that the hospital will offer emergency services and out-patient care only under their new designation.
The next city council meeting is March 25, 6 p.m., at the Aud.