LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Recently, heavy rainfall and a dilapidated water treatment system have wreaked havoc in Jackson, Mississippi, a city with a population of 160,000.
Here in Central Arkansas, officials have explained that they're prepared to handle whatever comes their way.
"Water is important, water is life," Doug Shackelford, spokesperson for Central Arkansas Water, said. "It's definitely a nightmare scenario, because, again, people sometimes take it for granted until it's not there."
What has happened in Jackson has been referred to as "a nightmare."
With Central Arkansas having a population that is about three times as large, we could only imagine how drastic the problems would be if nearly half a million customers were to be faced with the same problems as Jackson.
"It's always in the back of your mind, you know, are we doing everything we can to be prepared for the worst," Shackelford said.
Shackleford explained that Central Arkansas Water sits in the middle of Knoop Park, and has had nearly $30 million in upgrades.
"We can get that planned to go ahead and begin that process of upgrading that entire stretch of pipe versus just coming in and throwing a band-aid on it," he said.
The original plant is from the 1930s— and though the facility has shown some signs of the area's age, when it comes to the plant's capabilities it is decked out with state-of-the-art equipment.
Shackelford added that they're also prepared for any severe weather, which is a huge factor in what has happened in Jackson.
"Everyone remembers the giant snowstorm that we had in February a couple of years ago," he said. "At no point during that snow event did we ever have to put our customers under a boil notice. That's resiliency."
While nothing is ever guaranteed, Shackelford said they are confident in what they would be able to do, and they're prepared for whatever comes their way.