WATER SYSTEM TRANSITION TRAVELS A SMOOTH COURSE

Voters of Cape Girardeau authorized municipal officials in November 1991 to purchase and assume operations of the city water system. Some citizens feared at the time of the election that the system was antiquated and in need of costly repairs, a burden community taxpayers would have to bear. Four months into the system's newly public operation, the news is encouraging: so far, so good.

This report is meaningful and heartening since the city invested a great deal of faith (in addition to floating nearly $12 million in bonds) into this purchase. There have been water line breaks since the city took over ownership in June, inevitable for an aging system, but nothing that raises red flags about some major problem that would indicate the city bought into a bad deal. Rather, the surprises have been mostly pleasant regarding the now public facility, both in terms of maintenance and capacity.

None of this is to suggest there won't be setbacks. There are more than 14,000 service lines and a break could turn up in any of them. A water system is the sort of thing that's taken for granted when working properly yet stands out dramatically when its functions go awry. Certainly that is the case on an individual homeowner's basis. From a municipal perspective, taxpayers must be concerned with collective and consistent malfunctions, and so far they haven't been apparent. In addition to the ongoing maintenance of the system, the city is drafting a 20-year master plan that will encompass line replacements and system upgrades.

The reasons that made the public water system purchase important last November remain today. Union Electric Co., the previous owner, had an intention to sell, whether to the city or another corporation; the city was the right choice. Municipal ownership puts in place the opportunity to control water rates and monitor improvement of the system, the latter being vital to expected development in some areas of the community. Improvements in the system could also result in a better fire insurance rating, which would save all property owners money.

No city can make a purchase of this type expecting to get an instant payoff. Hopefully, citizens aren't so eager to commit nearly $12 million in bond to anything other than a long-range investment. What we can be pleased with, however, is the immediate signal that no serious problems have surfaced yet in the water system and that the transition from private to public operation has gone smoothly.