PINE BLUFF, Ark — Local businesses in Pine Bluff say they've seen an increase in water pressure Wednesday after previous experiences of less pressure that resulted in negative impacts to their businesses.
Margaret Smith is the owner of Unique Cakes by Miss Margaret. She hasn't had any issues with water in the five years she's had her storefront on Barraque Street. She let her pipes drip during the snow storm.
"Everything was pretty much over Sunday. We came down Monday. I couldn't really open because the water pressure was so low. I couldn't clean the way we normally do, so I just did pick-up orders that had already been placed and then we left," said Smith.
Smith says she's a clean freak and was happy the water pressure was starting to get better by Tuesday, but Liberty Utilities communication throughout the process has been unseen.
"Not a word. Not a call. Not a visit. Nothing. I'm not really a fan of Liberty, just being honest. You call them and there's no answer. Sometimes you just want to throw up your hands and give up," Smith said.
Sherry and Wes Ricketts with the family-owned restaurant Lucky's Cafe say the last few days with water problems have been rough. You don't know whether you'll be open for business from one day to the next.
They focus on trying to keep dishes sanitized and have to check their bathrooms periodically and have to put water in the back of the toilet tanks to keep them flushing. They're hoping with crews coming into the city to help, they can resolve the issue quickly.
"I have seen an increase today in pressure a little bit. I thought maybe we were going on the uphill, but then it dropped back off again right as we started getting busy. It's like the more that you use, the pressure starts going down a little bit on it," said Sherry Ricketts.
She says instead of Liberty keeping her updated, she gets her information from a local plumber they use who's up to date with PSI numbers.
Thom Brown with Southeast Engravers Inc. says he thinks he'll stick with using bottled water for any water issues.
"The concern now is when the water pressure comes back, is it going to be safe? I don't know whether we can trust what Liberty says at this point," said Brown.
Liberty Utilities latest update Wednesday afternoon says they've brought more help in to detect leaks. They're canvasing zones including neighborhoods and vacant buildings.
"We continue to see improvement in water pressure at all three of our plants and our crews are back at work today across the community. In total, there are 52 Liberty operations people on the ground in Pine Bluff, made up of local crew members as well as several people from across the country, including:
- 13 people from Missouri electric
- 9 from Missouri and Illinois gas
- 16 from California and Arizona water
Plant 2 and the Jefferson Regional Medical Center remain an area of focus for us, and we continue to see pressure at the hospital improve. Since yesterday afternoon we have found additional leaks in unoccupied buildings, including a major leak in the fire suppression line at a vacant school.
That has been shut off. We received no additional reports of customer leaks overnight, though we continue to urge the community to call us to report leaks. We are able to answer most calls within 60 seconds."
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods says they've had to improvise at the jail in order to accommodate inmates and juveniles. They've gotten help from White Hall fire who is bringing in tanker trucks to pump water through so they can take showers, flush toilets, and use the kitchen area.
He says they've seen a slight bump up in the water pressure, but not enough to flush toilets.
"We've had to take our 24 juveniles in through the adult jail on a 'no sight, no sound' schedule so they can shower because the tanks are pumping water through this building and not theirs," said Woods.
Woods also has boots on the ground from the sheriff's office helping Liberty Utilities. Woods serves on the board for the waste water commission and says they've had a transparency problem with Liberty Utilities since 2019.
"I think that's where we fall into the situation that we're in now with this water crisis and I think saying it's 'watergate' would be an understatement," Woods said.