HIGHFILL — Cave Springs officials want to know the cost to connect to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority regional wastewater plant.
Larry Fletcher, the Cave Springs representative on the authority board, said at a Thursday meeting it appears to him there is no way the city can afford to connect to the plant.
“We figured it the best we could using the methodology we got from HDR Engineering of Seattle. It looks to me like it would be cost prohibitive for us to hook on to the plant. I guess my question is, what can NACA do to help us?” Fletcher asked.
At A Glance
Authority Members
Members of the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority are:
Bentonville
Bethel Heights
Cave Springs
Centerton
Elm Springs
Highfill
Lowell
Springdale
Rogers
Tontitown
Source: www.nwaconservation.org
Bentonville and Tontitown, the only two cities using the regional wastewater plant, have more money invested in the plant than any of the other eight member cities. The methodology developed by HDR uses a complex formula to determine the investment other member cities must make in order to connect to the plant.
Bob McCaslin, Bentonville mayor, turned Fletcher’s question around.
“I would ask, 'What can Cave Springs do for NACA?'” McCaslin said. “Cave Springs is a city of about 2,000 right now and part of the cost of joining is population. Cave Springs could have a population of 10,000 by the next census. The longer a city waits, the more expensive it could become to connect to the plant.”
Frank Holzkamper, Centerton’s representative on the board, agreed it is nearly impossible for smaller cities to find the up-front money to connect to the plant. Centerton has a wastewater agreement with Bentonville.
“We looked at every option, connection to this plant, expanding our lines with Bentonville or going to Decatur for wastewater treatment. It was about $3,000 cheaper to go to Decatur than the other options. We have to look out for our ratepayers,” Holzkamper said.
Centerton is building a new line which will transport some wastewater to Decatur. That doesn’t mean Centerton won’t ever connect to the regional plant, he said.
Fletcher said Cave Springs must do something soon about wastewater treatment.
“We’ve got to do something in the near future. What if our mayor writes a letter to this board asking if he can attend a meeting to discuss if there isn’t something that can be done?” Fletcher asked.
George Spence, board chairman who also represents Bentonville, offered a possible solution.
“We have the methodology, but that doesn’t mean all the money has to be up front. NACA, as a regional entity, may be able to help find state or federal funds to help defray some of the cost. I think we have some options that could be discussed if Cave Springs is interested in connecting to the plant,” Spence said.
McCaslin said Cave Springs could tie on to the last mile of the 60-inch Bentonville pipe running to the plant, which would be less expensive than building an additional mile of pipe.
Fletcher said he would discuss the situation with the Cave Springs mayor. “I suspect you will get a letter from him in the near future,” he said.