LOWELL -- A committee of City Council members decided to move forward with exploring options to extend a water line to a neighborhood served by a well.
Billie Acres subdivision was annexed in the early 2000s, Caley B. Vo, an attorney representing the neighborhood's developer. He said Billie Stanphill, the developer, has been supplying houses in the neighborhood with well water since it was built in the early 1990s.
Stanphill is about 76-years-old and decided earlier this year she doesn't want to continue maintaining the well, Vo said. He said she realized the operation was breaking Arkansas Department of Health requirements while investigating how to end the water service.
Craig Corder, Arkansas Department of Health engineer supervisor, was a member of a committee reviewing the Billie Acres issue Monday night. The committee also was comprised of City Council members, city staff and a representative from Springdale Water Utilities.
The Arkansas Department of Health classifies water providers serving more than 10 houses and 25 people a public water provider, Corder said. He said public water providers are required to employ a licensed water operator and do three tests on the water a month.
Vo said there are about 11 houses in the subdivision and 34 people.
Corder said the department will require the neighborhood meet these standards in the near future if an alternative decision to provide water to the neighborhood isn't made. He said a new system would need to be in place within the year to avoid the regulations.
Residents of the neighborhood asked the City Council for help resolving the issue last week.
Chris Buntin, Garver project engineer, is contracted by the city for engineering services. He said costs for resolving the issue range from $10,000 to $100,000. He said residents living in the neighborhood preferred the $100,000 option which would extend a Springdale Water Utilities line the entire length of the neighborhood. This would allow each individual home its own meter.
Bill Shields, a resident in the neighborhood, said he's not only worried about water quality but safety as well. He said his home sits more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant. Fire Department hoses cannot extend more than 1,000 feet, Shields said. He said a water main needs to go at least partially down his street so another fire hydrant can be placed there.
Lowell Fire Chief Mike Morris said the neighborhood is adequately safe. He said the department can use trucks filled with water to put out fires more than a 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant.
He said newer neighborhoods are required by code to have a fire hydrant every 1,000 feet. Yet, he said many older neighborhoods don't meet the requirement. He said doesn't know for certain when the law changed. He believed it was in the 1990s.
City Council members on the committee decided to recommend the City Council approve costs for design work on extending a water main half-way into Billie Acres neighborhood. The extension would include a fire hydrant. The design work would give the city a more precise cost estimate on the project.
Buntin roughly estimated the cost for extending the line would be $75,000.
David Adams said he was concerned extending a water main into the neighborhood could set a precedent the city is willing to pay for the service to all neighborhoods in the city.
Mayor Eldon Long attended the meeting and said he felt the city should compromise with residents in the neighborhood for the safety concerns.
NW News on 03/01/2016