HOT SPRINGS — One of
the first things David Watkins
sees every morning is the wa
ters of Lake Hamilton.
Hot Springs’ new city
manager has
rented a con
dominium
on the lake
as he and
his wife de
cide between
buying or
building a
new home in
the city.
The view
from his
windows re
mind him of
his adminis
tration’s top
priority, given to him by the
Hot Springs Board of Direc
tors and Mayor Ruth Carney.
“The mayor and direc
tors said, ‘You have to help us
develop a strategy to identify
and secure a long-term watersupply,’” Watkins said Monday. “I have been getting up to speed on the situation, and I was surprised at how very little room we have to meet demand.” On July 6, the Hot Springs Municipal Utilities Department reported a record single-day water demand for of 23.1 million gallons.
According to Richard Penn, director of city utilities in Hot Springs, the water use for the day surpassed a record setseven years ago. The city’s two plants can produce a maximum of just more than 24 million gallons of potable water per day.
The city manager said he is concerned that an equipment breakdown or water-main break would mean the city’s water customers would not get all the water they want to use.
In 2010, Mike Bush, then mayor of Hot Springs, said the city’s water system lost as much as 30 percent of the clean drinking water it produced to leaks from the more than 100 miles of pipes, some of which are more than a century old.
Since then, the city’s utilities department has been working to replace some of the system and many of the meters used by its customers. Watkins said the city has been making progress with replacement projects and that water losses have been reduced.
The city’s water comes from the Ouachita Water Treatment Plant on Lake Hamilton near the Blakely Mountain Dam and from the Lakeside Water Treatment Plant on Lake Ricks.
“I know the customers see an abundance ofwater, but we are constrained. We can’t just take more water from the lake,” Watkins said. “We don’t own that water, and we are talking with the [U.S. Army] Corps [of Engineers] and Entergy and are evaluating our contracts with them.”
The city manager said city officials are also looking forother sources of water, such as Lake Ouachita and DeGray Lake. However, Watkins said, it would be very expensive to pump water more than 20 miles from DeGray Lake for use by the city.
“This is an area problem, not just a city problem,” he said. “The largest increasein water demand is from our customers outside the city in Garland County.”
Watkins said that is one of the unique things about the job in Hot Springs that he had not encountered where he has previously worked. He was formerly the city manager for Bryan, Texas.
“We are a major supplier of services for an area with so little of it actually in the city limits,” he said. “We offer fire protection with agreements with the volunteer fire departments in the area, and we often respond out in the county. In that way, we are funding the growth outside the city, while Hot Springs is losing population.”
Once infrastructure concerns are improved, Watkins said, he wants to turn his attention to the redevelopment of downtown Hot Springs.
“It intrigues me,” he said. “We don’t have the money for the city to do it. The local businesses will be the major players, but perhaps the city can be the facilitator or help leverage some funds.”
Changes in city buildingand-use codes might help attract new businesses into the downtown area or allow some of the area’s existing business to expand.
“The codes make it hard to hold outside performances or to have outdoor cafes,” Watkins said. “We not only need the tourists; we need to get the locals back downtown.”
The city manager said hehopes there could be more residential use of city buildings, which could attract new types of retail businesses. Then, he hopes more offices and other sustainable development would follow.
An Alabama native, Watkins said he enjoys being in Hot Springs and the region.
“I’m not a tree-hugger, but I can’t drive along [Arkansas] Highway 7 and not be in awe. It is one of the most beautiful areas. I’ve been impressed by that from the very beginning,” he said.
Watkins also said he enjoys the more cosmopolitan and “funky” atmosphere of the city.
“It’s certainly not your typical suburban community, and it’s not one of those blah small towns. It has art galleries, very good restaurants and a lot of them,” he said.
“This area is known for its quartz and diamonds, so it is easy to say that this city is a place of hidden gems. You can find all kinds of unique and interesting stuff around here.”
Staff writer Wayne Bryan can be reached at (501) 244-4460 or wbryan@arkansasonline.com.
Tri-Lakes, Pages 51 on 07/26/2012