PERLA -- Work is underway to assess and repair the water and wastewater system of the city of Perla after a circuit court judge earlier this month appointed Central Arkansas Water as the system's receiver.
Circuit Judge Stephen Shirron of the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Hot Spring and Grant counties, on Dec. 9 placed the insolvent Perla water system into receivership.
His ruling came as a result of a Perla ratepayer's lawsuit that claimed local officials had run afoul of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, created a nuisance and violated Arkansas law on solid waste. An amended complaint cited overflowing sewage and frequent boil orders.
Perla is a tiny community of just a couple hundred residents located a short distance down the road from Malvern.
At a board meeting Thursday, Central Arkansas Water Chief Executive Officer Tad Bohannon noted that under the court order, Central Arkansas Water was not required to use any of its own money for the work in Perla.
Bohannon told board members that the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission one day earlier had approved a $225,000 grant as part of the initial assessment work for the Perla system. He said officials had meetings coming up with the commission to talk about additional steps.
Referring to concerns about "what this is taking," Bohannon said Central Arkansas Water was using a limited number of crews. Officials were talking to contractors about performing some of the work that needs to be done in Perla, he said.
He reported that Perla's staff was still operating the office, accepting payments and receiving phone calls.
Central Arkansas Water Operations Manager Doug Farler told board members that when work began Dec. 10, none of the Perla's wastewater system's three lift stations were operational.
A crew worked its way through the pump stations, Farler said. The third station was a total loss with no infrastructure left to repair, he reported. Pumps were on a truck on the way to Arkansas at that moment, Farler said.
He said once the workers went through the main pump stations, they started going to individual homeowners and looked for the most egregious problems.
On the water side, Blake Weindorf, Central Arkansas Water's chief operating officer, told board members that officials have been gathering maps and populating GPS points to help create a flushing plan to turn over water in the system.