The Hot Springs Board of Directors heard a request Oct. 7 to buy two additional tertiary filters for the Davidson Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant and to approve related engineering and construction work. City engineers said the work is intended to increase wet‑weather capacity and provide redundancy for routine cleaning.

City Engineer Gary Carnahan told the board the city seeks a waiver of competitive bidding to buy the same model of filters already in use from Aqua Aerobic Systems because of long lead times and to keep operations uniform. "There is a 24‑ to 30‑week delivery period after our engineers approve the submittals from the manufacturer," Carnahan said. He said staff would ask the Board next Tuesday to approve the purchase for $3,528,009.20.

The Board received three related spending items in its agenda materials: a design and construction‑administration work order to Christ Engineers Inc. for $403,000 to design the two filters and provide construction oversight; a construction management change order to Max Foot Construction Company LLC for up to $3,520,000 to build the outlet structure, ultraviolet effluent chamber work and tertiary filter structures; and the direct purchase of the filters from Aqua Aerobic Systems for $3,528,009.20. City staff said buying the filters directly could reduce overall cost and expedite delivery.

A staff member summarized the operational benefit: adding two tertiary filters would allow the plant to process higher flows during heavy rain events and provide redundancy so crews can clean individual filters without losing half the plant's capacity. Carnahan said the additional filters would increase the plant's wet‑weather handling capacity "from 48,000,000 MGD to 96,000,000 MGD," adding that the filters commonly clog in ordinary operation and require periodic cleaning, which is why redundancy matters.

Board members asked how the purchase and construction will affect the wastewater bond budget. Carnahan and other staff said several bond projects have trended under or over estimate at different line items but that overall they currently expect to remain close to the bond program estimates. Staff noted there remain roughly $24 million in projects not yet bid; whether the tertiary filters contribute to an overall budget shortfall will depend on bids for those remaining projects.

No final board vote was taken during the Oct. 7 agenda meeting; staff said formal action is scheduled for the regular Board meeting on Tuesday night. The Board asked that related documents — vendor quotes, engineering rate sheets and the table of remaining bond projects — be included in the next packet.

If the Board approves the purchase and the related contracts, staff said delivery would occur roughly six months after submittals are approved and engineering work is underway.