You Need A Reliable Utilities Contractor On Speed Dial
If we get a call from a city at 2 a.m with a utility emergency, we're taking it every time. It's probably a water main break, but it could be anything. State municipalities rely on our team in emergencies because they know how committed we are to making a positive impact in our community.
Having a crisis like a water main break is a big problem, not only can it stop or slow down the flow of water people depend on, but that drop in pressure can actually invite bacteria into the water that can make people sick.
Most people don't see the intricate network of partnerships between municipalities and contractors that keep our modern conveniences running. (We literally keep the lights on sometimes.)
I'm going to take some time and pull back the curtain a bit. If you're part of a water utility, street department, or any role involving utilities at the municipal or state level, then this is for you. It's especially important if you don't feel like you have a great relationship with a contractor. The last thing you and your town need is an emergency with no quick way to address it, so let's walk through the process a bit.
Being Ready When It Matters
Emergencies don't follow normal business hours. They're prone to happen at the worst time — water mains break on weekends, storm systems fail during floods, and gas line emergencies crop up in the middle of the night. The contractors that municipalities rely on need to be prepared for these realities. We are.
When evaluating potential contractor partners for emergency response, city leaders should look for these capabilities and question the company on them:
24/7 availability – City leaders need more than an answering service, but actual crews who can mobilize within hours, 365 days.
Licensing - Is the crew you hire licensed to do the work you need? I'll share a bit more about that later, but you need to hire licensed contractors that the state of Arkansas has credentialed to work on things like distribution lines. They also need a contractor's unlimited license.
Ready for emergencies – Contractors who maintain an inventory of common repair materials like pipe fittings, valves, and bedding material are ready to get to work. There's rarely enough time to make an order when (stuff) is hitting the fan.
Cross-trained crews – You need teams that can work on water, sewer, storm drainage, and gas lines without needing to call in specialized subcontractors.
Established supplier relationships – If there is a need for an emergency part, then the contractor should have their suppliers on speed dial. If a contractor has partnerships with suppliers who can deliver materials during off-hours and weekends when emergencies happen, that's a good sign.
Experience working under pressure – Choose contractors that have a track record of completing quality emergency repairs without cutting corners on safety protocols.
Clear communication protocols – Any company worth their salt has systems for keeping city officials updated on repair progress so they can communicate effectively with residents and media.
When a municipality calls with an emergency, they're counting on us to help them serve their community. Having these protocols in place makes the difference between a quick resolution and a crisis that snowballs.
When Emergency Response Becomes Community Impact
I'll never forget the call we got from Tonitown about seven months ago. They had an 18-inch transmission feed line that was gushing water, putting the whole town at risk. The pressure from a previous repair caused the pipe to break again, leading to a critical situation.
Luckily, they had an emergency bypass connection with Springdale, which bought us a little time, but that put our team on the clock to repair their main line.
We had 7 or 8 projects going, but they called us up first because they knew we'd get there just as soon as we could. They had a fix on the pipe, which as I've said before is the main line supplying the town, and that fix blew out.
It left a deep, muddy pit for our guys to work in, so we had a lot to tackle to do it right and do it safely:
I had to call in an emergency locate so we could get the green light to know where, and where we couldn't, dig around the pipe.
Jim got us our excavator on site.
We needed to have a team over by noon, so I got on the phone and coordinated that.
We set up some benching so we were safe and not having to worry about cave-ins (shout out to our team!) as we worked on the pipe.
We got some warning signs put out so traffic wasn't breathing down our necks.
Thankfully, we are one of the few contractors in the state who have both an unlimited license AND a Distribution License through the Health Department so we could get to work right away. We communicated clearly with the city and provided them with several solutions to their real problem: the "fix" another team had done moved the pipes, and they were no longer directly aligned.
Ultimately, everything we did was by the city's direction. We worked through the night and into day two because that's what we do. And it's what we love.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
I think the work I outlined above shows the cost of getting the wrong contractor. If they cut corners or don't have the expertise to get the job done right, then you're going to have to hire another team to come in to fix their mistakes.
Extended service outages affect residents and businesses. City officials will have a whole lot of public relations work to do if the services remain offline for too long. The media will catch wind, and they'll be paying for it financially and in the court of public opinion.
Regulatory compliance issues can trigger state fines and oversight that no municipality wants to deal with. Perhaps most costly of all, damage to existing infrastructure during poorly executed projects creates a domino effect of additional repairs and expenses.
I've seen things like sewer line connections that leaked from day one of the "fix" because joints weren't properly sealed. These aren't just financial burdens for cities; they're failures that erode public trust and create unnecessary stress for everyone involved.
Finding a Partner You Can Rely On
As Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, our infrastructure needs will only become more complex. New developments require utility extensions, aging systems need replacement, and emergency preparedness becomes more critical.
The municipalities that have their residents' best interests in mind are those that build strong partnerships with experienced, reliable contractors. These partnerships ensure they have the help they need when emergencies happen. (They also provide the foundation for planned infrastructure improvements that prevent crises in the first place).
At Sy-Con, we're honored to be that partner for cities across our region. Whether it's a call in the middle of the night about a water main break or a planned infrastructure upgrade, we bring the same commitment to quality, safety, and community impact that defines everything we do.
