Now that the city’s Ouachita Water Treatment Plant has just resumed production, Hot Springs Municipal Utilities customers in Hot Springs and Garland County are asked to continue voluntary water conservation efforts until water tanks reach normal levels, which is expected to occur sometime tonight.
During last night’s storms, an Entergy substation serving the plant lost power, and the plant generator was damaged by a lightning strike. “Fortunately, our Utilities staff had filled all the towers in the system, anticipating a potential problem from inclement weather,” said City Manager David Watkins. “We appreciate their extraordinary efforts as well of those of Greg Asbell of Entergy, who prioritized our situation. We’d also like to thank Judge Rick Davis and Garland County Department of Emergency Management Director Bo Robertson, who coordinated with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to locate a generator in Memphis that can provide backup power to the plant.”