FY27 Proposed Budget

Recent Accomplishments: •

Completion of the Bradford Drive water main replacement project removing ~2,000 feet of water main with dozens of water main breaks on Bradford, Louise, and Wayne, while improving connectivity to the school and recreation center. • Completion of the treatment technology, source water, and storage study providing a project roadmap for the future to maintain existing facilities and extend service to the outskirts of Iowa City. • PFAS settlement award of more than $600,000. • Continued lead service line communication and resources, including multiple collaborations with the University of Iowa. • Recovering from staffing shortages associated with staff resignations, injuries, and probationary releases. • Deepening relationships with local contractors to improve communication and expectations for the phasing and testing of water main installs. • Maintaining nonfunctional water meters around 100 or less week-to-week. • Training new staff and improving the use of Cartegraph for work history tracking against assets. A focus on capital intensive projects to expand service areas for potential development while neglecting existing infrastructure due to an inability to fund both objectives. • Loss of debt-free status to perform necessary capital investments. • Rural subdivisions facing drinking water public health concerns and the potential for additional connections outside of the City’s corporate boundaries • A multinational corporation operating a water utility within the Iowa City service area recruiting employees with better pay and benefits, especially for younger staff. • Employee concerns regarding 24/7 operations schedules and on-call. • Retirement of at least two 30+ year employees. • The average age of the 282 miles of water main in Iowa City is 43 years old versus a national average of 53 years old. • Over 23 miles of main or 8% of the total are greater than 100 years old with the oldest main in service being 143 years old. • 85 miles of water main or 30% of the total were installed between 1950 and 1980 which is the age range of main most likely to break. • There are about 25 main breaks per 100 miles of pipe for Iowa City versus 11.1 main breaks per 100 miles of pipe on average per the “Water Main Break Rates in the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study” by Steven Barfuss of Utah State University (2024). • Water main replacement costs between $2M to $5M+ per mile depending on pavement, right-of-way congestion, and local policies for complete streets and service lines. • The treatment facility and source water wells are at design end-of-life. 210

Upcoming Challenges: •