Ogden's old water pipes
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his is getting to be, if you'll pardon the expression, an old story: Ogden has a serious problem with its water pipes. They are decrepit. They frequently break. Some of the city's sewer and water pipes have, in fact, crossed the century mark.
Some waterlines have been patched up frequently. On the East Bench, there is often low water pressure and, in some areas, the sewers cannot handle runoff during a heavy rain.
City officials have been aware of the problem for a long time. But all that has been done are mend-it jobs, repairs of existing pipes, etc. The reason for this is simple: A full overhaul of Ogden's sewer and water system would be very costly -- far north of $100 million. It would require more than residents want to pay. So the city has been procrastinating, trying to get by on the cheap.
In a city forum last week, Craig Frisbee, Ogden's utility manager, explained the results of parsimony: Standard-Examiner reporter Charles F. Trentelman wrote "the city's utility rates have only been raised 30 percent in the last 20 years. In that time, inflation has gone up 67 percent, eating fund surpluses and leaving the utilities unable to do anything but day-to-day repairs."
In Ogden, we are getting what we pay for -- and we are not paying near enough to keep in place sound water and sewer infrastructure. It's time to dig into our wallets and get an efficient system. Backed-up sewers, poor running water and cracked, leaky pipes are not only a nuisance, they are health hazards. Also, if we have a major emergency, we need the water running efficiently, on time and at full strength.
Ogden officials understand that, and plans are in the works for a tax increase to upgrade the water system. It will affect Junction City's water, sewer and storm-sewer rates. According to Frisbee, it won't fix all the problems at once. That would require a tax too high. Instead, he told Trentelman, the goal is to have enough money in city coffers to replace pipes when needed, instead of just repairing them.
Ogden has hired a consultant to investigate implementing the tax hike efficiently. The city wants to hear from residents before the hike is voted on, and presumably passed, early next year. There will be more forums such as last week's.
We urge Ogden residents to be proactive in this debate, to attend the forums and provide their input on this costly but necessary undertaking.
We can't avoid the need or the bill for better infrastructure in Ogden. Get involved to make sure the city does it right.
