Hot Springs council authorizes funding applications for wastewater plant after heated river debate

Hot Springs city leaders voted unanimously to authorize applications for state and federal funding to upgrade a failing wastewater treatment plant, but the decision followed an extended public hearing dominated by concern over whether treated effluent should continue to go to nearby irrigation ponds or be discharged to the Fall River.

City officials said the city’s existing facility, built in 1984, has deteriorated to the point that safety and regulatory risks are growing. “We’re here tonight to talk about replacing a wastewater treatment plant that’s 41 years old,” the mayor said during opening remarks, stressing worker safety and an expired discharge permit as primary drivers for action. Engineers who prepared the facility plan told the council they found structural deterioration, out-of-service equipment and hydrogen‑sulfide exposure that creates unsafe working conditions.

Engineers from AE2S recommended a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) as the most practical, flexible treatment option. Jim Jones of AE2S said the MBBR was the lowest‑cost…