EDGEWATER, Colo. — Water infrastructure across Edgewater is decades old, and the need to replace lines is getting more critical by the year.
That's why city leaders like Kit Lammers, community services director, are working to figure out how to find the money to make that happen.
"We're finding with our water fund that our revenues are pretty close to the expenditures, and so we don't have a lot of money to do a lot of the future capital projects," Lammers said.
It's a discussion that will go in front of city council on Tuesday, according to Lammers, because in some cases, the city has had to borrow money from the general fund to pay for breaks. Lammers said this is not sustainable.
"And what we've determined is, for water, we have about $5 million of work that needs to be done over the next 18 to 20 years," Lammers said. "We want that fund to be solely independent. So what we're looking at doing now is seeing what the rates need to be so that we do have the money to do these capital projects in the future?"
The city is also keeping an eye on their stormwater system. Lammers said they don't have a dedicated fund for those improvements either, and right now, they're facing a whopping $17 million needed to replace it.
"But the good news is, is we don't need to do that until about 2055 maybe even longer. So the idea now is to look at the planning now, though, so that we do have the funds to do that. And that's not to say that while it doesn't need to be replaced right away, we still have maintenance that needs to be done. Occasionally, you have to go in and seal things and fix things, and there's little bits here and there. So there is a need, and we just don't have a dedicated funding source for that. So the city is looking at doing a stormwater fee, like a lot of other cities have, so that we do have a dedicated funding source, so that that funds are available in there when we need them," Lammers said.
If you want to share you're input, there is a water and stormwater survey community members are encouraged to fill out.
-
What is Denver7 | Your Voice? Read about the project here
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
