Southwest City's board of aldermen held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 4, to discuss the state of the city's water lines and how to fund infrastructure improvements with water system engineers.
Public Works Director Shane Clark began by presenting the council with a piece of 4-inch water line that was recently removed. The pipe was installed in the 1930s and was corroded with buildup.
"I pulled one the other day that was so calcified, I couldn't put my thumb in the flow hole," Clark said.
In order to provide adequate fire protection, the city must have 6-inch lines throughout town.
Bruce Hively, Andy Simmons and Cody Greene of Simmons Engineering Inc. reviewed the city's engineering report from 2014, provided a map of the water system and highlighted problem areas. Simmons noted that most of the issues are maintenance related.
Hively said the city is spending an "extraordinary" amount on system repairs each year, most notably on leak repairs. When asked how many leaks have gone unfixed this year, Clark replied that at least 10 remain.
"That's nuts!" Simmons said. He added that some water in Tower 2 is unaccounted for, but that is to be expected of lines that are almost 100 years old. DNR views 10% water loss as the standard and 20% as standard for older systems. Clark estimated the city's current loss between 40% and 50%.
Clark said the city needs a completely new system, but the city must first make enough water revenue to fund repairs or qualify for government assistance.
Simmons explained that the council had two options -- to identify the water loss and prioritize repairs with money saved or to pursue a grant, loan or bond issue.
Hively said that to calculate an adequate water rate to fund the project, the average water bill would need to total approximately 2% of the median household income. The current average water bill is $25.38. Hively said the average water bill would need to be $46.80 to sustain the water system. He suggested the city raise rates to the point where the average water bill would be about $36 to qualify for a loan before securing a grant.
Hively also spoke about a conservatory rate where the more water is used, the higher the rate is.
"Like the opposite of bulk pricing," he said.
Simmons recommended the city include an addendum to the 2014 engineering report to include an update on the current conditions and host a public hearing to discuss the issue with residents.
General News on 06/20/2019