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The Benton Utilities Water Distribution Dept. is a water system serving residential, commercial, industrial, and master-metered customers in the City of Benton and Saline County. The Benton Utilities Commissioners and employees of this dept. are dedicated to high system integrity and exceptional customer service. In order to maintain a continual supply of water to our customers, the Water Distribution Department is responsible for the repair, maintenance and installation of meters, services, mains, fire hydrants, and valves.
Besides Mr. Andrews, the water distribution department is staffed by a lead pipe fitter, three pipe fitters, two apprentice pipe fitters and three laborers bringing over 175 years of experience to this department. This crew works hard to accomplish the duties they are assigned to do. Service Area – The service area of Benton Utilities Water Department includes most of the area within the boundaries of the City Limits excluding a couple new subdivisions known as Hurricane Meadows and The Oaks off Scott-Salem Rd. We also provide service to customers in the Northgate Subdivision off of Salt Creek Rd. and the areas east and west of the northern section of Alcoa Rd including Boone Rd all of the way to Hurricane Creek as well as provide wholesale water to several water associations including Salem, Southwest, and the City of Bauxite. Fire Hydrants – This department works closely with the Benton Fire Department to maintain the fire hydrants throughout this city. Recently, we have installed several new hydrants. We are currently servicing and maintaining over 890 fire hydrants in our system.
Water Mains – Our department is responsible for maintaining all main lines that provides service to our customers as well as install any new mains. With breaks due to construction in the area and natural ground movement, repairs are required. While we aren’t able to anticipate these leaks, we try to make repairs in a timely manner. Services – All residential and commercial customers have a service ran to their meter. Typically, when a new subdivision or strip mall is built, they will run these from the main to a meter box on the property where a meter installation is all that is required to complete our portion of the customer’s service. When a service is installed at an address where there isn’t a meter box, it requires a tap on a main by our department then the service is run from the tap.
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Benton
Utilities Water Distribution Department
The manager of the Benton Utilities Water Distribution Department is Jerry
Andrews; he has been with this department for over thirty years. He is
responsible for executing the daily activities in the water distribution
department and coordinating these with the Benton Utilities General
Manager.
Water Valves – This department maintains approximately 1500 water valves
throughout the system. These are used to reroute water or shut water flow
down in the event of an emergency.
Locates – Locates are required by Arkansas Law anytime digging will be
done with any mechanized equipment for whatever reason. When a contractor
or homeowner digs within the confines of our service area, they are
required call in a dig ticket to Arkansas One-Call and to mark the dig
site with white paint. The Arkansas One-Call Center sends us a ticket via
e-mail notifying us of the locate request. Our department is required by
law to respond to the dig site within two business days and mark the
ground above our lines in blue paint. Our lines include both the mains and
services up to the meter, we are not responsible for lines on the
customer’s side of the meter and do not locate them. 
