Problems lining up

NewsPress Editorial Board

May 04, 2008 12:23 am

— There can be little doubt there is trouble beneath the streets of Stillwater. City crews routinely are forced to crack the surfaces of roadways to fix the problem — broken water pipes and busted sewer lines.
Until now, it had been a problem city officials knew they would need to deal with — sometime. But sometime may be a lot nearer than they thought as the state Department of Environmental Quality has expressed concern about the amount of storm water run-off that is entering the city’s sanitary sewer system through holes and cracks. And DEQ is merely following the lead of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
City Water Utilities Director Anthony Daniel said the clay pipes — approximately 80 percent of the sewer system — date as far back as the 1940s. The clay is susceptible to breaks created by tree roots.
Monday, City Council members were told that during recent rains, the waste water treatment plant was pushed to its limit of 24 million gallons per day, with much of that being storm runoff that should not enter the sewer lines. The normal amount at the plant is 6 million gallons per day.
“The federal government may be setting some of our budgeting priorities for us,” City Manager Dan Galloway said.
These repairs are not going to be cheap. But the sooner the city can get started, the sooner it can halt the problem’s growth. And the better chance it has of performing the work on city terms and not those dictated by the state or federal government.