Costly Water Plant Overhaul Proved Hasty
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
Modesto water customers are paying for an overhaul that improved their water treatment plant’s capacity. But was the upgrade necessary?
Ratepayers are shelling out $4.1 million per year to pay down a debt on the overhaul, which doubled the capacity of the city’s water plant, according to The Modesto Bee. The upgrades were completed two years ago, but residents have not yet received any extra water as a result of the expansion. In fact, it could be years before they do.
“Modesto is not getting more water because it did not grow as expected when officials with the city and the Modesto Irrigation District approved expanding the plant at the Modesto Reservoir about a dozen years ago. The plant is a partnership between the city and the district and provides the city with about half of its drinking water from the Tuolumne River; the rest comes from wells,” the report said.
The problem is that Modesto’s population has not grown as quickly as analysts previously expected, the report stated:
“The City’s General Plan projects rapid population growth within the City, from a current population of approximately 200,000 to approximately 400,000 by 2025,” states one of the project’s documents from 2004. Modesto has about 215,000 residents today. And it provides water to about 260,000 people who live in the city and in the surrounding communities that use city water, including Salida and Del Rio, according to the city’s draft 2017 Water Master Plan.
Modesto’s population was growing quickly at the dawn of the century, prompting fears about the water supply. But the boom fizzled out after the recession, according to the report.
“Unfortunately, based on what we expected to come in did not happen,” Utilities Director Will Wong said. “But the city of Modesto has to provide water for existing customers and for growth. And we’ve positioned ourselves for any type of growth.”
While Modesto’s water needs appear to be trailing behind its infrastructure improvements, the opposite situation is true in many parts of the country. The U.S. received an overall grade of D+ on the infrastructure report card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Wastewater and drinking water infrastructure scored a D+ and a D, respectively. The Hill reported: “The rating is considered ‘poor’ and ‘at risk,’ just one step above failing and unfit for purpose.”