Water storage tower gets approval

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's Planning Board on Wednesday night approved the site plan for a water storage tower for the Benton/Washington Regional Public Water Authority.

The water tower will be built at 14524 Blueberry Lane in Garfield. The water authority has a water tower near the location, but a new one is needed because of growth, said Scott Borman, general manager of the authority.

Construction of the 120-foot tower should take about 18 months, Borman said. The tower will be on an acre on the east side of Blueberry Lane, according to planning documents. The tower will hold 2 million gallons.

"We still want to have some buffer room," Borman said. "The goal is to have 24 hours of water out there if we had to shut down."

The old 114-foot tower, built in 2002, will be taken down, Borman said.

The water authority serves Bella Vista, Benton County Water District No. 1, Centerton, Decatur, the Gateway Public Water Authority, Garfield, Gentry, Gravette, Highfill, Lincoln, Lost Bridge, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Siloam Springs, the Washington Water Authority and Westville, Okla., Borman said. Tontitown is expected to join later this year, he said.

Pea Ridge Mayor Jackie Crabtree said the new tower is needed, and the city and the water authority have a good working relationship.

The new tower would serve Garfield, Gateway, Lost Bridge and Water District No. 1, Borman said. The authority has other storage tanks in Benton and Washington counties, Borman said. The storage tank could last 20 years, but that could change because of growth, he said.

The Planning Board also approved:

• The site plan for a 204 unit self-service storage facility at 414 E. Nursery Road in Rogers. The facility will be 34,700 square feet and the property is 5.4 acres, according to planning documents.

• A 3.92-acre tract split on South Morning Star Road in Bentonville. The land will be split into three tracts, according to planning documents. The land is owned by the Cathy Zehnder Trust. The land is vacant and will be used for residential single family.

NW News on 04/18/2019

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