HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. — Some residents in Helena-West Helena are now dealing with their fifth consecutive day of no water in parts of the city.
As winter weather moved through the state last week, citizens were advised against running water. In the days since Mayor Christopher Franklin posted online that water has been turned off temporarily as crews work on the four wells that are in Helena-West Helena.
This comes as the frigid temperatures and winter weather posed issues for several other towns around Arkansas as well, with places like Arkadelphia and Pine Bluff being asked to conserve water last week.
The water conservation order for many of these towns, including Helena-West Helena, was set to be in order until Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. It was on that date that officials said they would monitor conditions and decide what's best for their citizens.
A 2,000-gallon water tank was sent to the town by the Arkansas National Guard on the night of Jan. 18 to help alleviate some water issues. Citizens are also queueing in long car lines to get emergency water provided by officials.
This isn't the first time that citizens in Helena-West Helena have gone an extended period of time without access to water either. In the summer of 2023, thousands in the city went nearly a week without water due to aging infrastructure in the area.
This problem of aging infrastructure is an issue that has continued to plague small towns in Arkansas, with outdated structures and staffing shortages being described as two of the biggest contributors to the crisis.
The city of Helena-West Helena said back in September of 2023 that the West-Helena treatment plant had outdated valves and technology.
At the time, there were cracks on the water basin patched over, and the building itself was damaged.
The mayor’s chief of staff, James Valley, said back in September of 2023 that they hadn't changed much at the plant up to that point since it was built in 1964.
James Valley with the city of Helena-West Helena explained that this could last more than two weeks and they estimate it will impact about 2,000-3,000 people in the area.