WATER FOR FUTURE

The city of Cape Girardeau acquired its water system from Union Electric in 1992. At that time, residents were told it was a solid system with some repairs and expansions likely to be needed in the future.

Now, city officials are talking up a major expansion project that may cost $43 million -- or more. The city paid less than $9 million four years ago for the entire system, which includes aging water mains, some a century old. Taxpayers and ratepayers may wonder how improvements and expansions could cost so much. Instead of a knee-jerk negative reaction, residents should at least hear the city officials out. It is a critical problem that deserves attention.

Tom Taggart is the water utility manager for Alliance Water Resources, the company that manages the water system for the city. He has a good analogy: When most people get married and plan a family, they trade in that sports model automobile for a dependable, four-door sedan. But the expected baby turns out to be quints. It isn't that the car is inferior. It just doesn't fit the demand any more.

The city is facing a similar jolt from unexpected growth in water usage over the last four years. Water demand has increased about 20 percent in that time, despite the fact usage had remained relatively flat the 20 previous years. It isn't system repairs that will cost the most int he overall project that has been proposed. Most of the cost would be for expansion to meet rapidly growing demand.

Without these improvements, city officials maintain that the system will peak out within two years. Last summer, usage crept very close to maximum output on more than one occasion. The system currently has a 7.3 million-gallon-a-day capacity. On 17 days last August, usage topped 6 million gallons. The peak day of usage was 6.83 million gallons. What will happen without the improvements? Taggart pulls no punches: The city will run out of water.

No final cost figures for the needed upgrade have been put before the City Council. All the estimates so far are educated guesses. But it looks at if the improvements will cost more than $40 million. The city doesn't have that kind of money just lying around.

A bond issue would be needed to pay for the repairs. Paying off the bonds would require a hefty water-rate increase -- in the neighborhood of 50 percent -- or a 20-year quarter-cent sales tax. Either alternative would require a simple majority approval by voters.

City officials say such a large project couldn't be financed on a pay-as-you-go basis, like the street-improvement project that began this year after voters approved a sale tax for that purpose. The first phase of this project is basically an expansion, which Taggart said has to be done all at once.

On the bright side, Cape Girardeau is experiencing growing pains. The 1990 census figures were disappointing, with minimal population growth. When Union Electric sold the system, there were about 13,372 water meters in the city. Today, that number is 15,048, which represents a 12.5 percent increase over the past four years.

The growth is approximately 60 percent commercial and 40 percent residential. Many of the new commercial developments have been restaurants, and they are big water users. One commercial account may use the equivalent of 50 to 100 residential users.

But what is the alternative? Turn back the tide of development and growth? Tear down the restaurants, hotels and new subdivisions? Hardly. When there are growing pains, the city must deal with them. It is a problem many other cities wish they had.

Voters and water users should pay close attention as this expansion proposal unfolds. Now is the time to ask questions. Let's base the campaign on facts and not supposition.