The Hidden Cost

The Collapse

On New Year's Day, I received a call from Director Roberts telling me that there had been a sanitary sewer line collapse in the 3100 block between Bethel Boulevard and Eschol Avenue on New Year’s Eve. Attempts to clear the blockage from the line had been unsuccessful, and with the line at a depth greater than the Public Works equipment could dig, he requested my authorization to bring in a contractor after the holiday to conduct an emergency repair, which I granted.

In the meantime Water Department crews were pumping out the system from the adjacent manhole and diverting it to another sanitary line a half-block away. So, I spent a few hours of New Year’s Day out on the site with Director Roberts and the Water Department Crew while they pumped out the backup in the sanitary system. It is safe to say that’s not exactly the most pleasant way to spend a holiday for anyone.

Pumping out the sanitary sewer, New Year's Day

 

 

Once Campanella & Sons, our on-call contractor started digging, more problems began to surface, so to speak. Director Roberts gave me the bad news; the damaged line may have been leaking for some time, creating a void, and it looked like the base of the adjacent manhole had failed, which would require it to be replaced. The “barrel” of the manhole formed from large preformed concrete pipe sections would have to be assembled, which would take a couple of days. In the meantime the Water Department crew was checking the level in the system a couple of times a day, and pumping it down as needed.

Manhole replacement project in progress.

Fast forward a few days, taking into account weather delays due to snowstorms and the polar vortex, and the new manhole is finally in place, and the broken section of the sanitary line was repaired. Due to the close quarters in the alleyway, a section of an adjacent water main had to be temporarily removed for safety reasons. Public Works crew then began “jetting” out the line in order to finally clear the blockage and insert a camera into the line for inspection. Unfortunately, the jetting showed more stone was coming into the line, indicating a second break that had to be repaired.

Project site in the final stages.

As of today, February 9th, the sanitary line has been fully repaired, the water main service has been restored, and the project site is awaiting the contractor to complete the filling and grading of the dig site. That’s 41 days since the first call that there was a problem with the sanitary sewer. Director Roberts has informed me that the estimated cost of this repair, based on time and materials may be around $153,000 when everything is totaled up.

The Cost of Under-investment

The Department Heads, the City Administrator, the Mayor and the Commissioners all work together diligently to anticipate and plan for the costs that will be incurred in a fiscal year. Budgets are based on previous experience, and known obligations with the objective of providing services to the taxpayer in the most cost effective way possible.

However, it’s the unanticipated event that ends up costing more, and that is especially true when it comes to infrastructure; streets and alleys, water mains, and sewers (storm and sanitary) that we all rely upon. Time and nature don’t follow a timetable, and the only certainty is that eventually everything breaks down in the end.

Infrastructure is the great hidden cost of government, it is the foundation of our quality of life, but so much of it isn’t apparent to most people it tends to be ignored, until it fails. There is also a tendency to defer maintenance and improvements for years or decades because there is a reluctance to go to the taxpayers, and ask them for the funds needed to do the job. Too often, there is a tendency to “make due” and hope that things hold together for a few more years, to not make the hard choices, not make the investments and especially not to upset the taxpayers right before an election.

I have often used the phrase “kicking the can down the road” when talking about the costs of deferring investment in our infrastructure, because the longer we wait, the greater the price tag in the end.

Another example of the hidden costs involved in under-investing in our infrastructure is in our water mains. In Zion, like most communities, this infrastructure is similar to an archeological dig where the older and newer parts are mingled together.

Age of Water Mains

This chart shows the age of the different sections of the water main system, note that about 25% is around 60 - 90 years old, with another 25% over 50 years. Almost half of the approximate 106 miles of water mains in the city are at or over the half-century mark.

Maintaining an aging system has its challenges and according to Director Roberts, Northern Illinois is one of the worst environments for infrastructure in general due to fluctuations in the freeze - thaw cycles. This seasonal stress creates potholes in the streets, and subsurface breaks in sewer lines and water mains.

The past 72 days have provided a stark example of what happens when this stress is placed on our aging infrastructure.

Cost estimates for recent Water Main Repairs

This list was provided to me a few days ago, at the time of this writing there have already been two more main breaks. Also, keep in mind that each of these incidents involve working for hours in harsh weather, which takes a toll on the Water Department crew. Another thing to keep in mind, is that when these incidents happen during a snow event, these employees aren’t available for snow plowing operations, which slows the response because there are fewer trucks clearing the streets and alleys.

A repaired water main.

 Ultimately everything has a cost; labor, materials, and even time comes with a price.

Course Correction

After the New Year’s Eve sewer collapse I stated in a post that the word for 2019 was infrastructure, and by that I mean that re-investment in our infrastructure must become a top priority in the city’s plans for the future.

With this in mind, Director Roberts is already drafting a five-year project plan taking into consideration the most critical areas that need to be addressed. Of course, the limiting factor in this undertaking will be the funds that are made available to carry them out.

Realistically, even large increases in property taxes and fees would not be sufficient to meet those needs, as illustrated in this very article. Example, the 2% increase in the tax levy that was approved this past December is projected to net an additional $153,000 next year. If you recall, the projected cost of the sewer collapse as noted above is about $153,000. Second example, the recent increase in city vehicle parking stickers, an additional $10 for a vehicle, or $5 a year for a two year sticker, is expected to net an additional $50,000. Which is about the same as the cost of the 18 water main breaks listed above, or more appropriately since the revenue from vehicle stickers is designated for street repairs; the $54,000 contract for street patching this year. The correlation isn’t exact, a budget is composed of many parts, including other revenue, grants and matching funds, but the trend for the foreseeable future is that the cost of infrastructure maintenance will continue to increase with time.

If the current budget cannot keep up with the rising costs of our infrastructure, how can we get ahead of the curve? One possibility is the addition of an alternate source of revenue, not dependent on property taxes or fees. The limited Sales Tax that is on the ballot for the April election, if approved by the voters, could be used towards improvements in public infrastructure. As a limited Sales Tax for a Non-Home rule community, that is in fact one of the permitted uses for any funds collected. It’s not a guaranteed solution, but it could put the city on track towards steady improvements over time.

In the meantime, we will continue to work within our current budget, seeking new and innovative methods to reduce costs and maximize the investments in our infrastructure. Future articles on this topic will look at the conditions of our streets and alleys and the challenges we face with them.

If you have any questions or comments about this topic, please contact me at, christopherf@zion.il.us