RISON - Construction on the City of Rison’s new wastewater treatment plant located at the solid waste transfer station on Hwy. 79 has been slowed after the concrete used in the new structure was found to be defective.Joe Freyer, utilities director for the City of Rison, revealed the news during a report to the Rison City Council during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night at Rison City Hall.Freyer said the defects were found in a part of the structure that will screen solids from the wastewater. He said an inspection revealed some “honeycombs” in the concrete, and further inspection revealed that concrete was defective.Inspectors told the construction contractor that the bad concrete would have to be removed and replaced. Freyer told the council that one section was about 4 long while another on the other side was more than 9 feet long. To make the repairs, Freyer said they would have to remove the concrete that is already there and replace it with new concrete as well as new rebar in many places. He told the council that the repairs are expected to cost about $225,000, which is being covered by the contractor and the concrete company.In another update regarding upgrades being made to the city’s water system, Freyer reported that a delivery accident resulted in a chlorine leak occurring at one of the city’s wells on April 15.According to Freyer, a driver was unloading a bottle of chlorine when it rolled away and struck one of the bottles that was already there. He said the collision knocked the valve off the top of the second chlorine bottle causing chlorine to leak into the air. Freyer said he evacuated the area immediately around the bottle but was able to get the leak stop before a broader evacuation would have been needed. Freyer said the valve on the city’s chlorine bottle that was damaged cost more than $4,000, and the company that is supplying and delivering the chlorine is buying ...
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