01/10/17   Lead Found In Bearden Water Supply

 

The Bearden City Council met last night for their first meeting of the year. The first order of business was swearing in the new city council members and all of the officers and council members.

Mayor Iva Lou Stoker told everyone that John Ainsworth is now officially the chief of police at Bearden and not City Marshall. Terry Weatherly was sworn in as Ward One-Position One City  alderman, taking the seat formerly occupied by Paula Bounds. Vincent Waller who was appointed to take Lois Hopkins vacated seat as Ward 3-Position two councilman is the other new face on the council.

One of the first things discussed at the meeting was the issue of lead in the drinking water in Bearden. Letters went out last week advising everyone on Bearden water of the discovery of lead in the water. Mayor Stoker says the lead was found during a random sampling.

The lead was found in samples at two houses near the school where recent digging had taken place and the health department felt that might be the reason for the discovery of lead in the water. Mayor Stoker says the city is waiting to receive cups from the health department so water samples can be taken at the school.

Bottled water is being made available for students and anyone else at the school who doesn't want to drink the water out of the faucets. Every faucet in the school will be tested and all the water at the school will have to be shut off for a period of time prior to the samples being taken.

Another important piece of business conducted by the council at the meeting was the passage of an ordinance accepting the bid on the initial phase of the sewer project. Sewer project engineer Jason Haley of Franks Engineering of Texarkana announced that the successful bidder on laying the pipe for the project was Kempco out of Texarkana with a bid of 2-million-292 thousand-306 dollars. The overall cost for the sewer project is 4.2-million. Haley said work on the sewer project should get underway around March 1