Water District Blinks, Agrees To Upgrade Downtown Water System

by Ralph Nichols

A long-simmering disagreement between the city and Water District 54 over upgrades to the water system in downtown Des Moines was expected to boil over at the June 3 council meeting.

There was even a possibility that the city would begin the process of assumption – the takeover of the water district – if council members didn’t get the answers they wanted.

Instead, the meeting began with Water District 54 Commissioner John Rayback informing them that “the commissioners think the district can now put a line down Marine View Drive.”

Following their May 20 council meeting, several lawmakers expressed frustration over what they considered to be a pull-back by the commission from what they thought had been a preliminary agreement reached at a joint meeting in April for installation of a new 12-inch water main along Marine View Drive.

To do this, Rayback said, the water district “will need the city’s assistance and will need concessions from the city.”

City assistance would include a $486,000 federal earmark secured by Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, which is dedicated to water system improvements in Des Moines, Rayback told council members.

“And the city needs to waive all permit fees” associated with the project “if you’re really serious,” he said.

This project “will still be very expensive … we need to keep costs down.” But, Rayback added, “We think it can be done.”

The water district will draw from its capital reserves to provide additional funding for the job.

“From the district’s point of view, putting pipe in the ground is money well spent,” Rayback said.

“I’m very, very encouraged...” - City Manager Tony Piasecki.

“I couldn’t agree more,” remarked City Manager Tony Piasecki.

The district “very probably will have to go into debt a little bit,” Rayback noted. “We’re willing to look at it.”

When asked for details about their plan, water district engineer Warren Perkins told the council, “We will come back to the city with a proposal.”

“What I’m hearing from the district is actually encouraging,” replied Mayor Bob Sheckler, who then pressed Perkins for a date certain.

“This has been a controversial subject for many years,” Sheckler said. “And a lot of criticism of the district is that it says it will do something and then nothing is done.”

Perkins offered “six weeks, maybe sooner.”

“Let’s say four weeks,” Sheckler countered.

Perkins agreed, and Water District 54 officials are now scheduled to submit their project proposal to council members on July 1.

If the plan for installing the new water main along Marine View Drive receives council approval at that time, “we can … get it designed and out to bid, and start work in the early spring [2011],” Sheckler said.

“Hopefully we can wrap this up on July 1. I’m very encouraged.”

City Manager Tony Piasecki added, “I’m very, very encouraged.”

The 12-inch water main on Marine View Drive, which may be installed beneath a sidewalk because of obstacles beneath the street, will include 12-inch cross connections to east-west lines at S. 220th, S. 222nd, S. 225th and S. 227th streets.

Those lines could be capped and connected later to the main along Marine View Drive, depending on the cost of the primary project.

Water District 54 Commission President Alli Larkin said following the meeting that what changed in the district’s approach to upgrading downtown water service was a decision to put “on hold all our cross connections and putting our money into the Marine View Drive Line.”

She said the district “then can go in later and do the cross connections,” which would include connecting with loops the end of water lines that now dead end along 7th and 8th avenues.

Perkins said some looping might be able to be done as part of this project.

South King Fire & Rescue has, in the past, said the downtown water system falls short of providing a required sustained flow of 3,500 gallons per minute for three hours for fire suppression, while still providing water service to the rest of the area at reduced pressure.

Water District 54 has disagreed with that analysis.

Loren Reinhold, the city’s assistant director of utilities and environmental engineering, told council members the project now proposed “will provide the necessary water supply downtown.”