Sponsored: Salina Needs a Citywide Water-Main Plan, Not One Emergency at a Time
By Jay Vanier, Republican - Candidate for Kansas House District 71
Salina’s water problems are bigger than one street, one neighborhood or one broken pipe.
Residents near Dover Circle, North 10th Street, North 11th Street and Larson Street have raised concerns about aging water mains, recurring discoloration and water they are uncomfortable using for ordinary household purposes.
Those residents deserve answers and a solution. However, the city should also recognize that replacing one troubled line at a time will not solve the larger problem.
Salina needs a citywide plan for identifying and replacing aging water mains before more neighborhoods reach a crisis point.
Create an Aging Water Main Replacement Initiative
The City of Salina should develop a coordinated Salina Aging Water Main Replacement Initiative.
Under that plan, the city would identify vulnerable sections of the water-distribution system and establish a prioritized, multiyear replacement schedule.
Projects could be ranked according to factors such as:
The age and condition of the water main
The frequency of breaks and repairs
Documented water-quality complaints
Water loss
The number of homes and businesses affected
Potential public-health concerns
The risk and cost of a future failure
That would give residents a clearer understanding of when their neighborhoods may receive improvements. It would also help city commissioners make long-term funding decisions instead of responding to each problem as a separate emergency.
Package Related Projects Together
A broader plan could also make Salina more competitive when seeking state and federal infrastructure funding.
Instead of treating Dover Circle, North 10th Street, North 11th Street and Larson Street as completely separate problems, the city could determine whether those projects and other aging lines can be packaged together as part of a larger water-infrastructure initiative.
Kansas Water Office guidance allows certain drinking-water infrastructure projects within the same category to be consolidated into a grant application.
Combining related projects could allow Salina to make better use of engineering work that has already been completed, present a stronger case for outside funding and stretch local dollars further.
Use Every Available Funding Source
Replacing aging water infrastructure will be expensive. Salina residents should not be expected to carry the entire burden without the city first pursuing every reasonable outside funding opportunity.
A long-term financing strategy could include:
Kansas water-infrastructure grants
Low-interest financing through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Federal drinking-water infrastructure funds
City water-utility revenue
Capital reserves
Other state or federal infrastructure programs
No single grant or loan will replace every aging water main in Salina. The answer will likely require combining several funding sources over multiple years.
The objective should be straightforward: reduce the amount that must be paid exclusively by Salina residents while creating a predictable plan for replacing aging lines before they fail.
Give Residents Clear Information
The city may already be pursuing some of these opportunities. City employees and officials may have plans or funding discussions underway that have not yet been fully explained to the public.
If that work is happening, it should be recognized. It should also be communicated clearly.
Residents deserve to know:
Which water mains have been identified as priorities
How those priorities were determined
What engineering work has been completed
How much the projects are expected to cost
Which grants and financing programs are being pursued
When construction could begin
What residents should expect while they wait
Open communication will not make the infrastructure problem disappear, but it will help rebuild confidence and allow residents to understand the obstacles facing the city.
This Should Not Be a Political Fight
Water infrastructure is not a Republican or Democratic issue.
Residents experiencing persistent discolored water have legitimate concerns. They deserve to be heard and treated respectfully. Water that people are uncomfortable using for bathing, cooking or washing clothes is a serious quality-of-life problem, even when testing indicates that it meets applicable drinking-water standards.
At the same time, city employees, engineers and elected officials have the difficult responsibility of maintaining a large and aging water system while working within financial, technical and regulatory limits.
The answer is not unnecessary conflict. The answer is cooperation, transparency and a serious long-term plan.
Salina’s water problems did not develop overnight, and they will not be solved overnight. But the community can stop waiting for each neighborhood to reach an emergency before acting.
The question should not be who receives the credit or who receives the blame.
The question should be: How do we work together to fix the problem?
Paid for by Jay Vanier for Kansas. Sean Robertson, Treasurer.