NACA accepts analysis as basis for expansion

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Determining the cost for a city to connect to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority wastewater facility involves many factors, board members discovered Tuesday.

Representatives from HDR Engineering Inc. of Seattle, Wash., gave an hour-long presentation to explain the methodology used to determine the cost to a city wanting to connect to the authority plant.

Board members accepted the connection fee analysis as the basis for future expansion. Bentonville and Tontitown are the only two cities using the wastewater facility. None of the other eight authority member cities has expressed an urgent need to connect to the facility.

“We tried to figure (a fee methodology) out ourselves, but gave up. It had too many moving pieces,” said Bob McCaslin, Bentonville mayor.

Tom Gould, HDR vice president and national director of utility rates and finance, said the project also stretched the minds of his organization.

“There are different ways to arrive at a fair and equitable cost to become part of the authority,” Gould said.

Fees will be based on the capacity of the plant; how much capacity the joining city wants to buy; the cost of hooking on to an existing sewer line; and what part of the existing debt will be transferred to the new member.

“It’s complicated,” said Jerre Van Hoose, one of the Springdale representatives on the board. “That’s why we hired HDR to figure it out. I think we got our money’s worth.”