HSV Public Services – Peeping before Leaping

To identify problem areas, The POA has contracted with Heller Company, Inc. to view and clean sections of the sanitary sewer line. They are doing this process on Lake DeSoto and Lake Cortez, where most of the sewer lines run behind Villager properties. “This procedure will identify any of the sewer lines in those areas that need to be repaired so we can tackle that early next year,” stated Ken Unger, HSV Director of Public Services. Property owners should be notified by the contractor before their yard is entered.

The “camera’ing and cleaning” of these two areas are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022 or early in 2023. The Public Services Director said they plan to target repairs first on Lake Cortez while the water level is still low due to current dredging operations.

Earlier this year, where some sections were already camera’ed and cleaned, Unger discovered that approximately 40% of the lines needed some action. Unger likened tackling the aging infrastructure to human aging and said, “as we become older, our bodies may need some attention, which is the same for aging infrastructure.”

This study helps lay the groundwork for sewer lines needing repaired so that we don’t spend more money than we need to. Unger said it is tied together into a greater plan that we are working on related to infrastructure and the Mill Creek Treatment Plant.

Unger is hopeful that Hot Springs Village will be approved to receive grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act to help pay for some of the needed infrastructure repairs and improvements.

In a previous article, it was reported that Unger said, “The HSVPOA submitted three grant applications for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. The grants were submitted to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission by Saline County on behalf of HSV. This is the first time to our knowledge that this has been done on behalf of the Village. The grant totals over $8 M, and whatever is rewarded will require a 50% match.”

Unger feels that “clearly, we have a much better chance than we ever had in the past at getting something. Every time we have requested money in the past, they have thrown the request in the trash can because we are not a municipal entity. By going through the county, at least they have to look at it now,”

Unger said there will be more opportunities in the years to come to apply for grant money.

By Cheryl Dowden; Photography by Joe Dowden