A case for water and sewer rate increases

By Nathan Steele

One of the de?ning characteristics of a “third world” country is the lack of infrastructure. The lack of clean drinking water and ancient sewage systems lead to diseases that we don’t see here in the US anymore. Diseases like typhus, malaria, dengue, and bio-bugs our north American bodies have never seen.

We’re not in Africa or South America or some other third world outpost. We’re in Seal Beach, surrounded by Disneyland, Huntington Beach, Hollywood, and every ?rst-world attraction we can imagine. We expect that when we go to the sink, turn the handle, water comes out. Not just water, but water that won’t kill you or make you sick. It isn’t a luxury for us, of course. It’s what we should expect without even thinking about it.

When we ?ush the toilet, we should never have to think about the waste again. We shouldn’t have to worry about the particulars of how that waste is transmitted to OC Sanitation and what happens to it there. When we ?ush, it’s done and gone.

Of course, we pay for those necessities. We understand that there are pipes and pumps and all manner of infrastructure that makes those necessities possible. That infrastructure has a useful life of decades, and barring some unforeseen system failure, it should be there for a long, long time.

The problem is that many of our pipes have been in use for a hundred years. Much of our water/wastewater system is more than 50 years old. In just the last few months, Seal Beach has had 3 separate mainline water breaks needing emergency repairs.

Professionals who specialize in water/wastewater systems have told us that upgrades and capital spending is required to keep our systems operating smoothly. We have professionals on city staff  who are experienced and trained is these things who are telling us that we need to invest in our infrastructure.

They’re also telling us how much we need to charge to support the upgrades of our system. Of course, no one likes to see their rates go up. But the experts who know our system best are telling us that we need to invest to keep our ?rst-world water/wastewater system from becoming a third-world nightmare.

We should listen to them.

If we don’t listen to them, the ?xes we desperately need won’t get done. The ?xes will come back as failures later and they will cost a lot more later than now.

The buying power of the dollar is shrinking. What costs millions today will cost 10s of millions tomorrow. Delaying the upkeep of our infrastructure will come back to haunt us later when the national news reports: “People in Seal Beach California have been advised not to drink the water or ?ush their toilets until further notice … catastrophic system failure.”

Don’t think it’s possible? Talk to Shreveport, Louisiana or Flint, Michigan, both featured on the national news.

Or how about these actual national news stories?

“Lawsuits were ?led against cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Boston, Miami, Cincinnati, and Toledo for their inadequate sewage systems.”

Or “Many cities have been forced to sign consent decrees with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after spilling large amounts of sewage into waterways, directly violating clean water regulations.”

Or, Jackson, Mississippi: “Most of the city’s 150,000 residents were on a boil water notice due to cloudy water that could cause digestive problems. A major pump at the city’s main treatment facility was damaged, leaving many without water. The crisis highlighted decades-long neglect and inequities in the water system.”

The same things can happen here, too. To think we can skate by without taking care of “our house” is the height of irresponsibility. If we defer this work, someday we will have to pay. The difference is that the people responsible for delaying this critical upkeep—the current city council—will be long gone and some future city council will be stuck with the bill.

About 30 people showed up at the council meeting on Monday, February 12. Fourteen of them spoke in opposition of raising the rates and in favor of deferring the needed upgrades. There are 25,000 people who live in Seal Beach and depend on the water/wastewater system every day.

So, who should we listen to? The few who show up and oppose the rate increase, the upgrades, taking care of our “house,” which is clearly the right thing to do? Or do we represent the best interests of the entire community and listen to the pros who have decades of experience with the Seal Beach utility system.

Or do we listen to the professionals who have decades of experience with the utility system in Seal Beach who are telling us the rate increases and the upgrades are necessary and follow their advice?

These kinds of problems don’t get better with age. They don’t get less expensive, and they don’t go away. As responsible city leaders, we need to step up and do the right thing for all of Seal Beach, now and for years to come.

Nathan Steele is the Seal Beach City Council representative for District Five (Leisure World).