West Memphis unveils massive $30 million utility project

City’s sewer, water treatment improvement plan comes with massive price tag

news@theeveningtimes.com It’s an issue that has been looming for the city for years now, lurking just under the surface, and now city officials are bracing for a long-needed fix that will come with a hefty cost.

Last Thursday, the West Memphis Utility Commission held a joint meeting with Mayor McClendon and members of the city council to discuss a $30,000,000 capital improvement plan to the city’s existing sewer system and water treatment facilities.

As explained by West Memphis Utility Department director Todd Pedersen, “West Memphis Utilities has been proactively taking the necessary steps to improve the service we provide to our customers, and improving our aging infrastructure plays a big factor.”

All sewer systems eventually break down, and the city’s is no exception.

“Mother Nature has an undeniable impact on our infrastructure,” said assistant utility manager Ward Wimbish. “West Memphis’s sewer system, like so many other municipal sewer systems, are faced with challenges on how to handle large amounts of rain, these system improvements will replace the aging infrastructure to the sewer system lines which includes updating and adding additional pumps at the wastewater treatment plant allowing for more flow far exceeding the current capacity.”