"What lies beneath" @miamiherald

OUR OPINION: No time to waste in updating Miami-Dade’s water and sewer system

By The Miami Herald Editorial

For retirees on a fixed income and struggling families scraping by in this economy the thought of having to pay more for their water and sewer bill will seem like another thoughtless government assault on their pocketbook.

The needed upgrades to the county’s system could exceed $12 billion over 15 years, according to Water and Sewer Director John Renfrow.

As it is, the immediate need is likely to be $1.4 billion to update three water-treatment plants in Goulds, North Miami and Virginia Key and replace brittle water lines that are in some cases 50 years old throughout the county — all to meet federal and state regulators’ demands that the county stop violating the Clean Water Act and the terms of the discharge permit.

That’s Step. 1. There is no alternative but to pay up and get going after decades of neglect and a county penchant for taking money out of the sewer fund to balance the county’s overall budget.

Step. 2: The county needs a long-range plan that is continuously updating water and sewer lines.

Right now, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has projected a 9-percent rate hike in the water bill for the 2013-14 fiscal year, followed by 6 percent increases for three years after that. But for this year, no increase, which should be reconsidered. As Commissioner Lynda Bell suggested at a recent meeting, increasing water rates gradually, starting now, would be best.

A mix of bonds and higher water bills will have to cover the costs of this long-term project, and build reserves so that in another 20 years the county isn’t scrambling again to catch up and creating a potential public health crisis in the process.

Mr. Renfrow said the first bond issue of $300 million, which commissioners would have to approve, would be needed by this coming spring. That money would be used to start work on the most critical portions in disrepair, those now in federal regulators’ crosshairs.

Mr. Gimenez, a fiscal conservative, has to lead on this issue if he wants to attract new industries to the county that offer better paying jobs. Sunshine and surf only go so far. The mayor and county commissioners would be wise to have a consistent get-the-word-out campaign to constituents about why the upgrades are needed and what’s at stake if we delay.

Tourism, for one, would be a bust if pipes keep failing. Imagine what a major break in sewer lines would do to Miami Beach, which already has experienced several sewer breakdowns in the past few years. Imagine that it would happen during the winter months when international tourists come for arts festivals and shows. About 100 miles of substandard piping laid out by a now-defunct company, including the sewer main running under Government Cut to Virginia Key, are a catastrophe in the making for this area’s tourism.

There’s no time to waste, and the cities that run their own systems must work with the county in a coordinated way to get it done.

Just in the past two years alone, the county’s antiquated system of 7,500 miles of sewer lines has ruptured more than 65 times, with 47 million gallons of untreated human waste seeping onto streets and into waterways from far South Dade to the Broward County line, according to environmental regulators. The health of Biscayne Bay, a recreational draw for locals and tourists alike, is imperiled, too.

Upgrading the entire system — and keeping up with repairs as needed into the future — is a public health issue and an economic imperative. Get going.

"Repair bill over $1 billion to fix crumbling Miami-Dade water, sewage system, report says" in @miamiherald

An internal study by the county’s Water and Sewer Department says deteriorated water and sewage treatment plants, along with aging pipelines, will require more than $1 billion for immediate repairs. A massive, five-month internal study by the county’s Water & Sewer Department shows a vast deterioration of water and sewage treatment plants, and aging pipelines, and says more than $1 billion is needed immediately for repairs.

A massive, five-month internal study by the county’s Water & Sewer Department shows a vast deterioration of water and sewage treatment plants, and aging pipelines, and says more than $1 billion is needed immediately for repairs.
TIM CHAPMAN / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

By Charles Rabin

crabin@MiamiHerald.com

Miami-Dade County’s three main water treatment plants and nearly 14,000 miles of pipelines are so outdated it would take more than $1.1 billion just to replace the “most deteriorated, vulnerable sections” of the system, a newly released internal study shows.

Corrosion is so pervasive in the county’s water and sewage-treatment plants, and pipes that move water and sewage, that initial repairs could take from three to eight years, the five-month study found.

Each day 300 million gallons of waste and 459 million gallons of drinking water pass through the county’s system — the 10th largest water-and-sewer utility in the nation.

“The infrastructure we have out there is aged,” said John Renfrow, director of the water and sewer department. “Many of the pipes with leaks out there were built at the same time. It reminds me of an apartment where all the lights are put in at the same time, and you know how all the lights go out at the same time.”

Federal regulators told the county two months ago that it must perform repairs and upgrades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice, along with the state Department of Environmental Protection, are expected to take another four months discussing with Miami-Dade how to fix and pay for a system that Renfrow said is “being held together by chewing gum.”

The study, requested by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, shows the majority of the initial fixes — about $736 million of immediate work — is needed for sewer lines. Water lines would take another $364 million to repair.

The county’s main water treatment in Hialeah, and two sewage plants, on Virginia Key and in South Miami-Dade, are 56, 45 and 87 years old, respectively.

Fixing wire and concrete erosion in pipes would cost about $10 million, and fixing water mains, tanks and pumps would cost another $129.4 million, the study estimated.

Using Hialeah’s John E. Preston water treatment plant as a typical example, the report noted that it “has numerous mechanical, electrical and process components which have exceeded the end of their useful economic service lives, which is usually 20 years.” A picture in the report shows a collapsed interior wall in the plant, which has been in operation since 1966.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said not much in the report surprised him.

Gimenez, Renfrow and several commissioners agree it’s going to take a combination of rate hikes, grants and revenue bonds to get the system up to date.

They said a budget decision to forego borrowing $25 million from the water and sewer coffers this year is a good start. That money, if left untouched each year unlike in the past, when it was moved to the county’s general fund, could pay the debt service on a $300 million bond, they said.

And despite not wanting to raise taxes or fees as the economy stumbles along, Gimenez and several commissioners say they expect a water rate hike in the near future. Historically, Miami-Dade has one of the lowest water rates in the state.

The county’s aging system — not unlike similar systems in most major cities throughout the Unites States — is in such disrepair that it has ruptured at least 65 times over the past two years, spilling more than 47 million gallons of untreated human waste into waterways and streets from one end of the county to the other.

Just this week a 36-inch main gave way in Little Haiti, leaving several families distraught and in search of a place to stay until their homes dry out.

Renfrow said his department will pay for home repairs.

“The funny thing is we checked the Little Haiti pipes in June for leaks. We didn’t miss anything,’’ he said. “The material is just old, it’s just going to break.’’

Similar main breaks were the focus of warning letters sent by federal authorities to the county from 2010 through May, when they finally came calling. The letters warned of possible civil penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

Talks between the county and the feds are expected to lead to an agreement over repairs and upgrades, as well as the funding mechanism.

“How it will be paid for will be figure out by us,” Gimenez said.

The report notes that the funding methods are not likely to be similar to the early 1970s when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, and grants were available for about 75 percent of repairs.

 

via miamiherald.com

 

EPA: US needs $300B in sewer, water work

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — A federal study shows municipalities nationwide need more than $300 billion worth of essential upgrades to long overlooked water and sewer systems over the next 20 years.

The need is acute in Northeastern states with older systems like New York, which needs $29.7 billion worth of improvements, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday. But he said that price is a "just a drop in the bucket" compared to the higher cost of continuing to upgrade parts of sewer and water systems when emergencies strike. He is pushing a bill that would counter planned funding cuts in the federal transportation bill now being negotiated in Washington.

"EPA found that the nation's 53,000 community water systems and 21,400 not-for-profit, non-community water systems will need to invest an estimated $334.8 billion between 2007 and 2027," stated the federal Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which is updated every four years.

The National Association of Counties' 2008 report estimated the need for water and sewer upgrades at $300 billion to $450 billion nationwide and the federal stimulus project provided just a fraction of that as the recession reduced local governments' revenues.

"This is a very serious concern," said Carolyn Berndt of the National League of Cities. "Many communities have a long-term plan to replace all their underground water infrastructure, but even if they do a couple percentages of pipes a year, it's still going to take over 100 years for some of them to replace it all."

She said local governments have been paying more than 95 percent of the cost of water and sewer upgrades since the 1990s as federal aid has declined. Schumer said federal aid covered 75 percent of local costs in the 1980s and 1970s.

"It's a huge undertaking," Berndt said. "Some of these pipes are 100 years old. That's why they continue to see water main breaks."

The group supports Schumer's effort, which comes as Congress works to cut spending.

—Copyright 2012 Associated Press
via online.wsj.com