Four months ago, the Columbus City council voted to set aside $3 million of its $5.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for stormwater infrastructure to alleviate frequent flooding in areas of the city.
That allocation is a modest sum to begin with. Waggoner Engineering, the city’s ARPA consultant, estimated the cost of a major upgrade to the city’s stormwater system between $48 million and $100 million, so even dollar for dollar matches from state ARPA funds and Lowndes County ARPA funds (almost certainly a non-starter among county supervisors) would not cover the cost of such a comprehensive plan.
So, in some respects, $3 million for stormwater abatement is, metaphorically-speaking, a drop in the bucket.
Reading the room at Thursday’s city work session, those funds may be reduced by a third after Columbus Light and Water General Manager Angela Verdell made her case for the city to devote $1 million to repairs at three of the city’s wastewater lift stations. Verdell said the total cost of the repairs would be a little over $2 million, with a matching grant from Mississippi Department of Environment Quality covering almost all of the additional costs. MDEQ is in charge of distributing state ARPA funds dedicated for water/sewer infrastructure.
Based on the discussion, it appears some council members are conflating stormwater with wastewater. References to the city as a “fishbowl” and general approval of Verdell’s plans as addressing flooding were prominent in the discussions.
Yet stormwater and wastewater are different systems and are managed by different entities. The city’s public works department is in charge of the stormwater system. Wastewater is managed by the autonomous Columbus Light and Water.
Despite the potential confusion, Verdell’s wastewater plan is compelling, especially since the city has not defined a real plan for addressing the monumental stormwater issues.
Verdell described the three wastewater projects as major priorities for her department that impact all six wards and affect many low- to moderate-income households. The first is rehabilitating the wastewater lift station at 22nd Street South; the second is a pressurized sewer line relocation for the lift station at MLK Drive; and the third is a relining of old sewer pipes throughout the city.
In determining whether the city should commit a third of the funds set aside for stormwater to the wastewater improvements Verdell advocated for, the city must choose between addressing a problem with a defined and achievable solution or another problem with a massive price tag and no real plan.
The one thing all should agree on is that wastewater is a problem that you don’t want to address after a system failure. Verdell said that not addressing these vulnerable lift stations could be catastrophic were they to fail.
We are inclined to agree with Verdell that this request is a good use of ARPA money. Wastewater is a major public health issue, after all and, unlike stormwater, the money used for this purpose will fund the project in its entirety.
We urge the council to approve Verdell’s request.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
