Water Treatment Process

Central Arkansas Water has two water treatment plants, the Ozark Point Treatment
Plant and the Jack H. Wilson Treatment Plant. The two plants have a current combined
treatment capacity of 124 million gallons per day (MGD) . Another 50 MGD treatment capacity
is pending approval from the Arkansas Department of Health. Water consumption during the
summer of 2000 peaked at just over 121 MGD, which has been the highest in the history of the
water utilty.

The Jack H. Wilson Treatment Plant is located in the Pleasant Valley area of Little Rock.
The first phase of the Wilson Plant, originally dedicated as the Pleasant Valley Water
Treatment Plant, was completed in 1966 with a capacity of 25 MGD. A second-phase expansion
in 1977 increased the plant’s capacity to 50 MGD. Further expansions increased the plant’s treatment
capacity to 100 MGD in 1984.

In 1993, a 9,000-square-foot expansion of the Wilson Plant was completed. The two-level
addition included a pilot plant, expanded laboratory space, and expanded
administrative offices. To enhance our efforts to comply with increased monitoring
and testing requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the expanded water
treatment complex features separate organic, inorganic, microbiological, and wet
chemistry laboratories as well as work stations for the laboratory technicians.

Subsequent modernization and rehabilitation of the plant was undertaken in two phases,
with the latest having been completed in 2002. The plant has a rated capacity of 150 MGD
(pending ADH approval). Phase I for Jack H Wilson Plant also began in September 1999
and included the construction of a 5 million gallon underground concrete"contact chamber"
designed to optimize the chlorination process. Also, baffling was added to an existing clearwells.
Phase II began in March 2000. The improvements at the Wilson Plant consisted of the rebuilding
of 16 filters and the addition of a state-of- the-art air scour backwash system. Also included was the
re-design of the flocculation and sedimentation basins. Finally, the Wilson Plant also when through
various electrical, instrumentation, and control system upgrades to further improve the treatment
process. The Wilson plant will have a rated capacity of 150 MGD (pending ADH approval).

In August, 2000, Central Arkansas began a comprehensive upgrade to our Supervisory Control
and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System. Our Intellution computer software allows us to control
operations and processes at the treatment plants and at the 20 remote storage tanks and 18 booster
pumping stations on the distribution system. The added features of the computerized system also
provide us with better compliance reporting capabilities. The computer software assists us in the control
and collection of data on the various parameters required for monitoring under state and federal
regulations and prepares the data in compliance format.

The Ozark Point Treatment Plant is located in the Heights-Hillcrest development district of
Little Rock. Some of the basins at the plant were originally constructed in 1886, but
have undergone major renovation and modification.

The first phase of the present chemical and filter building at the Ozark Point Plant was completed in 1938
and followed by expansions in 1948, 1954, and 1957. Subsequent modernization and rehabilitation of the
plant were undertaken in two phases, with the latest having been completed in 2002. The plant has
a rated capacity of 24 MGD.

The most recent comprehensive expansion/modifications program (for both plants) represents
a $31 million investment for the utility over 1999-2003. Phase I at Ozark, which began in
September 1999, consisted of a new 12-million-gallon-a-day pump station and rehabilitation
of two finished water storage clearwells. The new pump station will replace an aging facility.
Phase II work began in March 2000, and included the rebuilding and conversion of 12
to 8 filters. The addition of a state-of-the-art air scour backwash system for the newly
converted filter process and major repairs to the clearwells were made. Finally various
upgrades to electrical, instrumentation, and control systems were completed.

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The Ozark Point Plant's raw water source is primarily from Lake Winona, supplemented by Lake Maumelle
by way of Jackson Reservoir. It is not anticipated that the plant will be expanded because of building
area limitations.

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