Fort Smith active water leaks tick higher in May

Active leak numbers on the Fort Smith water system rose from 611 at the end of April to 632 at the end of May, according to the city. The increase in the closely-watched number was primarily attributable to an almost 15% increase in new confirmed leaks.

“Typically, more water leaks are reported this time of year as they become easier to detect and more apparent with seasonal changes — namely, warmer weather,” said Josh Buchfink, public relations manager for the City of Fort Smith.

Following are the stats from the city’s May leak report.
Leaks repaired in May: 104
New leaks reported: 204
New leaks confirmed: 125
Leaks repaired between January and May: 572
Active leaks at the end of May: 632

The number of leaks confirmed in April was 109. The average number of leaks repaired monthly in the first five months of 2025 is 114.4. Lance McAvoy, director of Fort Smith water utilities, has said his goal is to get the monthly average to 150.

While the May active leak number did increase, it is significantly lower than 2022 when active leaks totaled more than 2,500.

City officials began to more aggressively tackle the leak issue during and after 2022 when the number of leaks totaled 2,575, which was 43.4% more than in 2021. The city reported 1,135 confirmed leaks in January 2024, with that number falling to 739 in December 2024.

Buchfink said new equipment purchased to help fix leaks has not yet arrived.

“While our crews continue to address reported leaks as quickly as possible, some equipment approved by the board of directors has not arrived yet, and a few pieces of existing equipment are currently undergoing repairs,” he said.