Storm damage extends call for city of Fort Smith water conservation measures - Talk Business & Politics
Pictured is part of the storm damage at the Lake Fort Smith Water Treatment Plant. (photo courtesy city of Fort Smith) The last thing the city of Fort Smith’s water system needed as it struggles to keep. . .
Pictured is part of the storm damage at the Lake Fort Smith Water Treatment Plant. (photo courtesy city of Fort Smith)The last thing the city of Fort Smith’s water system needed as it struggles to keep up with summer water demand was a power outage at its primary water treatment plant. But that’s what happened Monday (Aug. 17) when a storm damaged power lines around Lake Fort Smith in Crawford County. Storms with straight line winds in parts of Crawford, Franklin, and Johnson counties knocked down trees, power lines and destroyed or damaged property in the region. Mountainburg and areas around Lake Fort Smith received extensive damage, according numerous media reports and outage reports from utility companies. The city on Aug. 14issued a callfor volunteer water conservation measures among customers who irrigate lawns, shrubs, plants, trees, and gardens, or fill swimming pools. The city’s two primary water sources, Lake Fort Smith and Lee Creek, are at 100% capacity, according to the city’s July 2026 lake report. However, daily demand is the problem. Water treatment facilities at both sources can provide around 49 million gallons a day. The daily demand with overnight irrigation and other water has pushed demand to between 45 million and 48 million gallons a day, which results in a struggle by the system to refill water storage tanks. Average daily use in non-summer months is between 30 million and 35 million gallons a day, according to the city. The city has around 36,000 customers in the city, and more than 150,000 customers in the region. After the storms hit late Monday morning, the city issued a press release extending the call indefinitely for water conservation. “The plant is currently operating on generator power while OG&E works to restore power to the area,” the city noted. “Water conservation is especially important while crews address these challenges. Every effort to reduce water use helps the City maintain adequate water supplies for all customers. The City appreciates the community’s cooperation and will provide updates as more information becomes available. ”Eddie Lee Herndon, OG&E community affairs manager, said the water treatment plant is “in the highest priority” category and crews are working to clear trees and other debris to make it safe for other crews to restore power. “We’ve thrown a lot of resources and crews at the damage up in that area,” he said. “There is a lot of vegetation and a lot of trees we’re having to work through up there. … But we don’t have that (time to repair) yet. We don’t know how long it will take to safely get the power restored. ”Related