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Show City explains need for Water Bond For a five-day period from July 8 through July 15 Cedar City was using more water than the system had the capacity to replace on a 24-hour 24-hour basis. That situation was described this week by Cedar City Manager Mike Embley as he advocated emergency needs, such as fires. This is the general position being taken by the city. That there is a need for more water, that it is advantageous ad-vantageous at this time to acquire an update the system to provide for that need and the needs of the immediate future. What is being proposed is that two wells and a distribution system be added to the system from the Quitchipa area. The estimated cost of this project would be $1,700,000. Another effort being proposed would be the repair of the Cedar Canyon Line at an approximate cost of $92,000. Currently there is a substantial amount of water being lost from this prime source of water, Embley Cedar City Corporations position relative to the need for the proposed bond issue that will be put before the public in an election to be held Tuesday, Aug. 1. The Cedar City Council is asking for the right to issue and sell $2,200,000 in Revenue Bonds and $1,000,000 in General Obligation Bonds to improve and expand the present culinary water system of the community. At the present time, Embley pointed out, the city has storage capacity for 7.5 million gallons of water. Water regeneration capabilities are slightly over 8 million over a 24-hour period, but for some days of the summer - as indicated above - the utilization by residents has exceeded the 8 million gallon mark. Storage facilities in other words, were being drained faster than they could be refilled, reducing the water pressure throughout the city as well as critically endangering the ability of the city to meet stated. Water from this source is the cheapest water that is currently available to the city, he said. It gravity flows into the system and needs no treatment, he said. An expenditure of $500,000 is anticipated for two new lVfe million gallon storage tanks and $80,000 is expected to be spent for a boost pump on the Quitichapa water line in the Hamilton's Fort area. Another aspect of the proposal by the city is for an exploratory well in Cedar Canyon just above Martin's Flat. Geologists have indicated in-dicated that there is good chance that a new water source might be tapped in that area that could meet the the needs of the city for many years to come. According to Embley the potential new source, along with the other recommendations recom-mendations of the council, would more than double the existing water supply and provide adequate culinary needs of a community with 20,000 population. Other expenditures would include the acquisition of property ana engineering costs to design and direct the projects in the improvement im-provement project. The proposed bonds would mature in 25 years and based on current interest rates would be 6.5 percent on the Revenue Bonds and 5.5 percent on the General Obligation Bonds. In a statement issued by the city it was indicated that "Revenue" needed to retire the $2.2 million bond would be approximately $185,000 per year. Operating, maintenance, repair and replacement costs would be about $307,000 per year. The total cost spread over the 2850 loanship would amount to a billing rate of $8 per month minimum for 10,000 gallons. Excess of 30,000 gallons per quarter would be 40 cents per 1,000 gallons. "In addition to the user fees, hookup charges for new connections will be needed to apply to the bonds. The hookup fee will be raised to $1,000 for each residential connection," the leaflet stated. |