InfrastructureRepair bill for Miami-Dade water and sewage system: $12 billion

Repairing, replacing, and rebuilding 13,000 miles of old water and sewage pipes and the treatment plants they connect to could cost Miami-Dade County, Florida more than $12 billion dollars over the next fifteen years.

This is a staggering amount – made even more so in light of the fact this is considerably more than the original estimate of $1 billion. The new figure was conveyed to members of the Infrastructure and Land Use Committee during an 18-minute presentation by county water and sewage director John Renfrow during a meeting last week.

“It’s going to take time and it’s going to take money,” Renfrow said. “That’s the bad news. The good news is the shot in the arm the economy will get.”

The Miami Herald reports that Renfrow said the project, when it is completed, could easily surpass the $7 billion spent to refurbish Miami International Airport and the $10 billion planned for the restoration of the Everglades.

In order for Miami-Dade County to make the necessary improvements to comply with Clean Water Act, the county would need to spend “only” about $1.4 billion. Among the $1.4 billion in repairs that the county hopes to start soon is $948 million in improvements to three water-treatment plants in Goulds, North Miami, and Virginia Key. Another $405 million will be allocated to projects throughout the county.

The $12 billion plan that Renfrow presented to commissioners is part of a long-range capital improvement plan that includes new sewage and clean water lines as well as state-of-the-art treatments plants for the six sites that now treat water and sewage in the county.

The improvements, short or long term, will have an effect on taxpayers in the county as they can expect their water bills to double or triple in the next fifteen years. Sierra Club volunteer and environmental activist Blanca Mesa thinks the improvements are long overdue.

“They should have started [repairs] 15 years ago,” Mesa told the Herald. “Maybe they should cancel some of the planned projects, like the tunnel or the museums. It sounds like they have an emergency on their hands.”

The county’s proposed budget for the fiscal year of 2012-13 does not include any water-rate increases, but it does project a 9 percent hike in the 2013-14 fiscal year, followed by a 6 percent increase each year over the following three years.

Commissioner Lydia Bell bought up the idea of gradually increasing the rates beginning this year at a preliminary budget hearing. “I’d much rather see it gradually than just one big hit,”Bell told the Herald.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with the Department of Justice and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection gave the county a 78 page consent decree in May, saying the county has violated sections of the Clean Water Act.

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said it will likely take a combination of water-bill hikes and bonds to cover any agreement with the feds. The county has scheduled three community meetings for next week, and Renfrow said he expects a full plan signed off by the federal government that he can present to commissioners by March.

“We don’t have the complete picture yet, but we’re getting there,” Renfrow told the Herald.