Water and Sewer Improvement Districts
Our Office hours are now Monday – Thursday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM.
Many residents are surprised to find that the Lost Bridge Village Community Association and the Lost Bridge Village Water and Sewer Improvement Districts are two separate entities.
The Lost Bridge Village Water and Sewer Improvement Districts’ were formed by the majority of homeowners after the original Lost Bridge Village developer ran out of money. A petition was sent to the County Court which approved and set up the Lost Bridge Village Water and Sewer Improvement District. District No 1 was formed on October 5, 1973. About six months later (on April 15, 1974) District No 2 was formed because not all parcels had been included in District No 1.
The Joint Commission (we call it the Operating Board) has the responsibility to operate, oversee, and maintain the system and assets and to provide the service to property owners. The Joint Commission is made up of any three of the six commissioners of the Districts. The two districts are operated as one large district. District No 2 could not survive on its own and we do not separate operating revenue, cost of repairs, etc. The exception to this is that the Joint Commission has limited power regarding assessments and other major commitments of costs. Therefore, the districts must separately obligate property owners for these major expenses through assessments.
Village properties and water districts do not exactly overlap. Some Village property is not in a District and vice versa. Additional details are available upon request by calling the Water and Sewer Office at 479-359-3697.
Water Sources
Water came from a 1600 ft. deep well which produced about 170 gallons per minute with a 50 horsepower pump when the Districts’ began distributing water. Minerals in the well water, while safe, caused deposits to form in some of the lines and contributed to flow-restriction in lines in the lower Village. Some areas complained of sulfur smell and taste, although for the most part, the water taste was excellent and even won taste awards on several occasions.
In 2003 we started receiving water from Beaver Lake provided by the Benton Washington Regional Public Water Authority (BWRPWA) from their intake near Avoca. The water is treated at the BWRPWA plant and pumped to the Garfield water storage tank. It is supplied to us through an eight-inch pipeline from Garfield to our upper storage tank. We are responsible for the line from our master meter at Ventris road. Originally, the BWRPWA line was to include a booster pump to provide sufficient pressure to our upper level to allow us to operate without the pressure system required to pump water back up to the Whitney Mountain area. However, due to a cost cutting measure, BWRPWA eliminated the booster pump and decided to supply us from the Garfield tank. This supplies us water with less pressure than the original plan and, therefore, we have to maintain the pressure system to pump water to the customers.
Sewer Plant
The sewer treatment plant consists of three units to process sewage called package plants. The first unit was installed in 1978. Additional units were installed in 1994 and 2000. The package plant installed in 2000 and an additional surge storage tank were added with the 1999 bond improvement project to expand our capacity to meet increased demands. The surge tank allowed us to divert sewage to the holding tank during peak periods when necessary, primarily on holiday weekends. This greatly increased our ability to handle peaks in wastewater inflow. Units one and two were repaired and put into good condition with 1999 funds. Thorough routine maintenance keeps these units in good condition.
The last major work on the sewer system was in 1999-2000 when we had about 330 customers on the system. One pump for each of the lift stations was installed giving us one new pump and one older pump for standby/back-up.
Construction on a new wastewater plant has begun! We are hoping the construction will be completed by the end of 2022. We are excited about this new plant!