Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

City's Water Treatment Questioned

BY AUTUMN LEAMONS

The treatment and supply of Prescott's water was questioned last week on Monday at the monthly meeting of the Prescott City Council.

James Rice, the city's engineer from NRS Engineering in Texarkana, attended the meeting to give the council an idea of what needs to be done to better the water treatment plant.

Rice told the council that at this time Prescott's water is safe, but within the next two years the Arkansas Department of Health is planning to drop the levels of turbidity that are allowed in the city's drinking water.

The legal level of turbidity now is .5, but if changed it will be .3, which would be impossible for the city to produce safe water, he said. This would be a major problem for the whole city if the matter isn't taken care of as soon as possible.

Rice further enlightened the council by explaining the process that would be taken in order to make water safe; he gave them an estimation how much money would be needed for the project. Rice said that it is state law for the city to have two mixers and two clarifiers. Rice said that it would cost the city around $130,000 just to buy this mechanism for the chemical mixers.

He also told the council that the filters the city presently has are old and aren't filtering water as well as they should. The main concern with the filters is that unwanted amounts of THM (Tri-Halomethane) get mixed with chlorine and is known to be a cancer causing agent.

Rice told the council that a report of the water plant's complications is needed in order to receive a grant.

Councilman Dick Bright finished out the topic by saying, "Water in the world today is more important than oil."

The council approved a motion to do the work that was needed to update the filters.

In new business Councilman Danny Beavert opened the topic of getting more bids from other companies on electrical rates. "As a citizen and a representative of other citizens, I feel that we should at least explore our options," he told the other council members. The topic stayed on the floor for a long period of time with many interests.

Glenn Vasser, the city's attorney, and Larry Stockton, a city employee, both have been talking with Entergy representatives about signing another contract with them in the year 2000. The rates that Entergy has given the city is lower than it is now, but "wouldn't be nice if they could be even lower?" the council members were asked.

Beavert said that SWEPCO is very interested in supplying Prescott with its power if the city is willing to talk with them."

Vasser and Stockton tried to discourage the council from considering anyone else and said that it was too late to try to negotiate now.

No decisions were made on the topic at this time, but it is to be brought up again after more information has been obtained.

Special guests at Monday night's meeting were Mary Godwin, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, and William Latin, the Chief of Police.

Godwin gave a brief summary of the events that had taken place at this year's Chicken and Egg Festival. Godwin said that the attendance fell slightly this year, but that she felt the steamy hot conditions were to blame.

She informed the council the festival date had been changed for the coming year to June 11 and 12. Godwin told the council members that there were plenty of vendors and activities and that she hoped that the changing of the date would help to make a difference.

Chief Latin was present to answer any questions that the council might have about the police report. The report was reviewed and the council found no problems.

Council members were told Sheriff Steve Otwell had promised Mayor Howard Taylor and four council member that he would attend Monday night's meeting concerning problems of two- way radio communications between some city employees and the Nevada County Sheriff's office.

When it came to Otwell's place in the agenda he still had not arrived. The council was discouraged and talked on the topic without him.

Larry Jones, head of the electrical department for the city, said that the city has been having problems when they get called out after hours. They can't get anyone to answer them back on the radio, he told the council members.

The council asked if this problem was with the radios or the people running them? Jones answered, "The people (dispatchers) running them." The council told him to be sure to tell all the city's employees to document each incident that occurs after this point.

The council also approved the normal five-mill tax the city collects every year. The city has this option each year.

Cory Marbury had requested his resignation from the city's volunteer Fire Department and asked the council to consider it at Monday night's meeting.

It had been suggested that Clay Wingfield take the place of Marbury. The council made the motion and approved that Marbury may resign and Wingfield be placed in his position.