FARMINGTON -- Communities Unlimited, the nonprofit group running Valley View's sewer system, continues to plan to provide a long-term solution for the its 500 customers, Jerry Kopke recently told members of Valley View Property Owners Association.
The sewer system, owned by Washington County Property Owners Improvement District No. 5, was placed in receivership in May with Communities Unlimited named as receiver. Kopke works for Communities Unlimited. The receiver was charged with bringing the system into compliance with state laws and obtaining a wastewater permit from Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
Clean slate
The Valley View sewer system is owned by the Washington County Property Owners Improvement District No. 5. Three residents living in Valley View or nearby subdivisions volunteered to serve as commissioners for the district. Former Washington County Judge Marilyn Edwards signed an order Dec. 14 appointing William Stephenson, Kevin Lewis and Michael Anderson as the three commissioners.
Source: Staff report
Kopke told property owners since coming on board as receiver, "It's been challenging, interesting and sometimes very rewarding."
He explained Valley View has a fairly new wastewater system, about 14 years old, but it has "aged prematurely primarily because of lack of maintenance and repairs."
The receiver hired engineer Jeffrey Dehnhardt with Engineering Services of Springdale to come up with a corrective-action plan and to get the system permitted through ADEQ. The district's operating permit expired Jan. 30. The system has been operating without a permit since.
As the sewer treatment system was originally designed, untreated wastewater from Valley View houses and nearby neighborhoods would go into a holding lagoon next to a small treatment system near Giles Road. The sewage was treated, pumped to two storage ponds on the Valley View Golf Course, then used to water the greens.
Dehnhardt, who lives in Valley View Estates, told property owners his first job was to evaluate the system and recommend repairs.
"Most of the equipment in place was in pretty bad shape," Dehnhardt said. "It looked like a lot of it hadn't been maintained at all, frankly."
Options
Kopke and Dehnhardt said the cheapest solution is to repair the system and use it as it was designed.
Other options include connecting to the Prairie Grove or Farmington sewer system; converting the system so it could discharge treated wastewater into an unnamed tributary of the Illinois River; or changing it to a drip irrigation system. The drip system is considered an advanced form of a septic system.
The receiver recommends the improvement district build a pump station to send the sewage to Prairie Grove's wastewater treatment plant. Prairie Grove officials have indicated they are willing to discuss Valley View connecting to the city system.
For now, the improvement district is hauling wastewater to Prairie Grove's sewer treatment plant. Kopke said it's the only way to make sure the district doesn't violate state laws relating to sewer overflows.
The district has contracted with BBB Septic Services of Bentonville to pump sewage from the holding pond and haul it to Prairie Grove. The monthly cost is $31,000.
Communities Unlimited petitioned Washington County Circuit Court through a pending lawsuit to be allowed to apply for loans to cover the cost. Judge John Threet approved a loan for $100,000 in June, and another loan for $350,000 in September. In both requests, the receiver stated the loans wouldn't require an increase in sewer rates paid by customers.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission announced in January it approved a $386,250 loan to the district for up to 10 years at a 2.75 percent interest.
Communities Unlimited has applied for a temporary wastewater permit from ADEQ.
Several property owners asked about the cost to connect to Prairie Grove's system, the time frame and how it would affect rates.
Dehnhardt estimated $2 million for the project. He said it would probably take nine to 12 months to build the connection, but that didn't include other requirements, such as the environmental process, land acquisition and approval from various agencies.
Sewer rates would be impacted, Kopke said, but he couldn't give any estimate on how much. All customers pay a flat $40-per-month sewer fee. Kopke said the December billing cycle reported 492 customers with a collection of almost $20,000.
"We're committed to implementing a long-term plan to resolve this for the next 20 years and also putting together a plan you can pay for," Kopke said, adding, "This will protect your home values."
Legal Affairs
Two lawsuits against the district are pending in Washington County Circuit Court.
A lawsuit was filed in March by Washington County, Farmington and Prairie Grove, Rausch Coleman Valley View and Valley View Estates Subdivision Property Owners Association against the district, Valley View Golf and the district's former commissioners, Joe Stewart, Jennifer Stewart and John Lipsmeyer. All three resigned because of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asked the system be placed under a receivership because of the danger of harm to the health and safety of residents in the subdivision and the danger to the environment as a whole. The defendants have denied the claims. Threet signed an order, at the request of former county attorney Steve Zega, dismissing Washington County as a party on Dec. 29. Prairie Grove was dismissed as a party earlier in 2016.
ADEQ filed a lawsuit in August to compel the district to correct problems ongoing since 2012. It seeks $420,000 in civil penalties for violations of state laws. Public reports on the ADEQ website show numerous complaints about the sewer system and multiple violations observed during inspections by ADEQ staff over the years.
NW News on 02/06/2017