Ken Unger, Director of Hot Springs Village Public Services, said a lot is happening in the division. He shares updates involving water, dredging, timber management, lift station replacement, and more. The Public Service crews have been working hard.
Water and Wastewater
Completed by contractors, the Pontevedra Water Main Replacement Project is finished. The Fonsagrada – Salvietierra Water Main Replacement Project is scheduled for completion in a week or two. The Fonsagrada – Salvietierra project is being done using in-house talent.
Unger said there was a main burst on October 26, but no water main bursts in the previous two weeks. Typically, an E-blast will not go out for every main break. The POA continues to refine the policy for automated phone notification for main breaks and other issues.
POA staff has replaced several lift stations. Unger shared, “This has saved the POA tens of thousands of dollars by doing this internally.” Staff also replaced 150′ of sewer line.
Unger said they have made changes to deal with water hammer problems. Previously reported in the Gazette, “Water hammer occurs when you introduce force into a water main. Sprinklers often start around 4:00 a.m., resulting in a surge in water demand. A lot of water is not used during the night, but all of a sudden, early in the morning, the demand increases. This causes a rush of water flow in the system. The pumps kick on, which causes an additional rush of water through the system, and you start getting vibrations in the lines. When you have lines bedded next to rock, you get breaks,” explained the Director.”
Unger said to combat water hammer and reduce main breaks, they have changed how they operate the pumps at the water plant and changed the timing on some valves between zones in the water main system. The timing has been adjusted on these valves to slow water release. Click here to read “Reality of Hot Springs Village Water Mains.”
Lakes and Dams
Lakes Sophia and Maria’s dredging is going well. Unger said, “We are removing thousands of yards of material from the two lakes.” Click here to read about the drawdown on Lakes Sophia and Maria.
Emergency repair of the Lake Pineda Dam is complete. Previously, the Gazette reported that Superintendent Todd Noles said a new concrete wall and trough must be poured at Pineada Spillway… Protruding rebar has led to water breaching and running underneath the structure.
Other
The east gate guard house building was refreshed, including roof replacement.
Timber management continues. Forest areas are being thinned to improve forest health and mitigate the risk of forest fires.
An alternate solution for guardrail installation has been found. Two guardrail installations were the cause of severe water main breaks. Unger previously referred to these main bursts as “self-inflicted wounds.” Completion of these projects was put on temporary hold until a better installation plan was established. Unger said, “Instead of driving the guardrails four feet into the ground, we will pour concrete to a two-foot depth and mount the poles.
Stay tuned for water plant discussions over the next several months.
We love to hear your input. Please comment below, or if you prefer, Ken Unger can be contacted privately. Thanks for reading!
By Cheryl Dowden; photography Todd Noles, Joe Dowden, Cheryl Dowden
Contact Information for HSVPOA Public Services Director
Ken Unger
Director Public Services
Hot Springs Village
501-226-9609
Kunger@hsvpoa.org
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We’re new to HSV, but have heard and seen excellent praise of you and your team Ken, hope to meet you one day in person and express my thanks personally, have a great day and thanks again for your outstanding service to our community!
Thank you, Mr. Unger, for your attention to the needs of our HSV community! Please know how much your work is appreciated and your expertise to resolving our ongoing issues.
Ken, You and your team have done a great job managing all the planned and unplanned work demands.
Compliments to your team.
Thank you for all you do Ken