Tulsa city councilors heard more evidence Thursday to support utility rate increases.
Eric Lee with the water and sewer department said aging infrastructure is a big problem. Spavinaw Dam and the Mohawk treatment plant were built in 1924.
"We're getting to almost 100 years on some of the initial infrastructure that was built in the city," Lee said. "We need to keep up with that aging infrastructure, and so as we address those needs, we need to have rates that cover those additional costs."
It would cost $4.2 billion to replace the entire water system at once. Lee said the city is investing $42 million a year toward that, which assumes the system will last 99 years.
"Fifty-one million dollars — if we take all of our infrastructure on the water side, that's what we should be investing every year, because it's around 83 years for all of our equipment," Lee said. "So we're still — even though it sounds like a lot — we're still maybe not totally investing everything we need to on the capital."
Inflation-driven cost increases for labor and materials are also an issue.
Lee presented the rate increases a different way, pointing out Tulsans pay 1.3 cents a gallon for city water and sewer.
"Great Value water, $0.88 a gallon. Great Value milk, $4.15 a gallon," Lee said.
Some city councilors balked at the initial proposal to raise water and sewer rates 7 and 9 percent, which would take effect Oct. 1 if adopted.
