Water Main Breaks Not A Budget Concern

Don’t expect all the recent water main breaks around Colorado Springs to break the bank.

A spokesman for Colorado Springs Utilities said it budgets for those unexpected water line problems. KRDO Newschannel 13 tallied more than half a dozen over the past eight weeks, though the spokesman said Utilities has experienced fewer breaks so far this winter than last winter.

On Lehmberg Boulevard, in front of Patrick Henry Elementary, utilities customers have noticed several problems over the past few months.

“Quite a few of them, but the city’s out here. They take care of it real quick,” said Jimmy Paladino, a Utilities customer who lives off Lehmberg.

Colorado Springs Utilities is using a gradual increase in monthly water rates to pay for infrastructure repairs. In its 2012 budget, that’s an extra $8.23 per month from each customer over 2011. The customer bill will continue to grow through 2015 according to Colorado Springs Utilities 2012 budget plan.

Paladino said he doesn’t mind paying a little extra on his water bill every year to pay for capital improvements because he believes the fixes need to be made.

“I know from doing the surveys we have some of the lowest water rates in the country,” said Paladino. “With everything breaking in an aging city, things are going to break and somebody has got to pay for them.”