Water Reserves Drying Up In Dryden

A water operations financial plan shows the City of Dryden is not setting aside enough money for the future replacement of equipment and other assets.
The City is currently contributing $375,000 toward capital replacement in the water budget compared with the recommended level of $1.05-million.
Director of Public Works and Engineering Mike Louttit says the situation isn’t dire right now, but he notes a massive failure in the future could pose problems.
The six year financial plan calls for $6.7-million dollars in capital spending.
The plan recommends a 6% water rate fee increase annually for the next six years but Louttit says they are looking at other options.
The plan also shows that the City hasn’t replaced assets on a predicted timeline resulting in a $6.2-million backlog.
Dryden only has roughly $110,000 left sitting in its water reserve account.