A city agency that gets what is perhaps the least amount of consideration by the public is the Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility. Manager Ken Johnson probably likes it that way, in a no-news-is-good-news sorta way.
Except that there’s always good news coming out of his office.
Like the story about the utility being recognized at the Arkansas Waterworks and Water Environment Association’s Annual Conference in Hot Springs where the agency received the Safety Award for its exemplary safety program and outstanding safety record.
Or the one in which the utility received the Peak Performance Platinum 15 Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which was given for attaining 100% compliance with its wastewater discharge permit for 15 consecutive years.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“This is a monumental accomplishment in our 136-year history,” Johnson said at the time.
And then there was the story about the female employee getting her Class IV operator license from the state Division of Environmental Quality — making her the third woman in his staff to reach the significant benchmark. So it was no surprise when the story came out that the utility was on time nearing the end of construction on an almost $11 million project that had a starting date back five years ago.
The project — a 1,100-foot, 42-inch line, submerged beneath Lank Langhofer — will increase the flow capacity from the Kansas Street Pump Station to the Boyd Point Treatment Facility from 23 million gallons a day to 40 million. It’s not the kind of thing people breathlessly talk about at the dinner table, but they would definitely do a lot of talking and complaining if the utility Johnson operates wasn’t doing its job.
Thanks, Mr. Johnson. Even if what you do and how you do it doesn’t hit the radar very often, it’s a pleasure knowing someone of your capabilities is handling such an important aspect of life in Pine Bluff. Would that all of Pine Bluff hummed so smoothly.