When Columbus Higgins bought his home on West Barraque Street 20 years ago, he assumed it came with all the standard utilities. Only later did he learn his new property was located in one of the few remaining pockets in Pine Bluff’s city limits without access to the city’s sewer system.
The area “looked like it was forgotten,” Higgins said, “because septic tanks are being used, and that’s not good for a city that’s being improved.”
Things are about to change, though. After two decades of paying to have the septic tank on his property regularly cleaned and maintained, Higgins and his neighbors are slated to benefit from a new sewer project announced by Pine Bluff Department of Economic and Community Development Director Larry Matthews. Matthews told the City Council at its Monday meeting that $474,000 left over from a 2011 bond passed by voters will go toward installing new sewer lines along Barraque from Hutchinson Street to Bryant Street. Part of the 2011 bond money funded a sewer extension project along U.S. 63 from the I-530 freeway south to Ridgway Road. City officials originally planned to further extend the sewer south to 73rd Avenue to accommodate commercial developers attracted by the nearby Walmart Supercenter. But the expected development has not materialized, Matthews said, so it was decided to apply the funds to the Barraque location.
“There are approximately 11-12 residents who stay in that area who do not have city sewer,” Matthews said. “We’re probably looking at the end of the year for completion.”
Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility General Manager Ken Johnson said the area along Barraque is one of several “pockets” in Pine Bluff that still lack sewer service.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We have 39 sewer improvement districts throughout the City of Pine Bluff,” Johnson said. “It didn’t happen overnight. It took several, several years to put residents on the sewer system. This particular location has been looked at for several years as a potential location for putting in the sewer service.”
While Wastewater Utility maintains the city’s existing sewers, Johnson added that it does not oversee new infrastructure projects such as the planned sewer extension. The project was good news to Higgins, who said he considered circulating a petition among his neighbors on Barraque at one point to demand sewer service.
“If [the septic tank is] not cleaned out, you can have an extremely bad problem,” said Higgins, adding that each cleaning costs a minimum of more than $100. “You have to get it cleaned out every three or four years, and that’s not cheap. You have to keep all the tree roots away from your sewage pipes. Have to have a sewage pump to pump it through the pipes … . We pay taxes just like everybody else.”
The news also brought a smile to the face of Julie Carraway, 32, a photographer who said she’s lived her entire life in her house near the intersection of Barraque and Bryant without a sewer connection. She typically has her septic tank cleaned annually at a cost of $100 to $150 each time. Recently she spent $2,250 to replace the field lines that carry sewage from the septic tank on her property to a septic drain field.
“There’s not enough dirt back there, so the water just sits,” Carraway said. “In the very back of the yard, you can smell it.”
Ricky Williamson, whose convenience store, Ricky’s Quick Stop, sits on the west side of Bryant Street at its intersection with Barraque Street, said he would be thrilled if he could connect to the city sewer system. He estimated that 50 people per day use restrooms at the store. He said he has to pay $310 every three months to get his septic tank cleaned.
“We have lots of traffic,” Williamson said. “It would be great for my business and my customers.”
Williamson said residents who live west of the convenience store on Barraque also lack sewer services, as well as those living immediately south and north of the store on Bryant. Johnson said he was not sure whether Williamson’s store would be able to connect to the new sewer, but he hoped so.
“When they do the complete engineering work, we’ll know how many areas will be served,” Johnson said. “I feel optimistic that they will be a part of it.”