City's recent water issues caused by chemical mishap

“This brown water keeps rearing its ugly head around town,” President Stuart Richter told commissioners and the public at the New Rockford City Commission’s April 3 meeting. He had met with Interstate Engineering after complaints had come pouring in again about water quality issues.

Wage Senger of Interstate Engineering prepared a written report outlining the issues and their course of action to address them, which Richter reviewed with the commission.

The most recent round of unsavory water over the past few weeks was caused by caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). While caustic soda is commonly used in water treatment to help raise the pH of water by absorbing water and carbon dioxide, in New Rockford’s case too much chemical was used. The solution was inadvertently increased from 30 percent to 50 percent and remained that way for 72 hours straight at one point.

The more highly concentrated solution freezes at 54 degrees and forms a crystal when it does. The result in this case was blocked pipes and failure of the reverse osmosis system. That means for a period of time the city’s water was only treated with the potassium permanganate system, which does not remove iron and manganese from the water. Those two minerals are the source of the water’s brown color.

Workers spent days cleaning out the pipes in the water treatment plant and returning the system to normal operation, Richter said.

The city will now make complaint cards available to residents and businesses so they can document water issues and address them as soon as they are discovered. In addition, the clear well is scheduled to be cleaned later this month, and flushing of lines will resume once the snow melts.

The hard water is harshest on dishwashers and ice makers, so residents are encouraged to check the water filters on their appliances and clean them as needed.

Changes will be made to staffing at the water plant, with Rick Swenson dedicating all of his time to operating the plant. It takes longer to treat water with reverse osmosis, so Richter said they want to ensure he has enough time to address issues that arise and keep the plant operating efficiently.

Also, the chemical bill will rise considerably. The city budgeted $55,000 for water treatment chemicals in 2023, and they have already spent $34,000 to date. Richter said they anticipate that the total could reach $130,000 this year, and if so further adjustments will need to be made to rates.

Residents who have concerns about their water quality should reach out to Becki Schumacher at city hall and fill out a complaint card.

Late fees to increase

Increasing the fees for late payment of utility bills was proposed by Schumacher. The current late fee is 1.5 percent per month, which amounts to little more than a dollar in many cases. She said the fees in other N.D. communities range from as low as 1.5 percent to as much as $17.50 per month.

Schumacher recommended a flat fee of $5 or $10 per month, to be applied on the 22nd of the month.

The commission agreed to increase the late fee to $10 per month. Peterson explained that ordinance changes would be required to change the fee, and then held the first reading of proposed changes to both 18.02.15 (water) and 18.04.07 (wastewater), which were approved. The fee increase will go into effect upon approval of the second readings, which will also take place at the May meeting.

That said, Peterson advised the commission that no ordinance changes were required to allow the city to collect minimum utility fees from residents each month, even if their service is shut off temporarily. The topic was discussed at last month’s meeting.

“You can turn (your service) off, but you’re still going to get a bill,” Peterson said. Therefore, users should expect to continue paying the minimum fees for water, sewer and garbage service even when they are not using them. The minimum bill for a user is about $70 per month.

Grant funds awarded for new roof

More work will be done on the roof of the Brown Memorial Auditorium, thanks to grant funds obtained by the city. New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC) Executive Director Amanda Hegland explained that the building’s roof had been leaking throughout the winter, causing issues in the new childcare center. She applied for funds from the North Dakota Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP), and the city qualified for an 80 percent cost-share. One of the priority areas for RWIP was childcare, she noted, which is why the roof project was approved.

The cost of new steel roofing on the north side of the building is estimated at $92,763, and $74,211 of that will be covered by grant funds. The city approved an additional $20,000 from the city’s infrastructure improvement fund to cover the remaining cost of the project, which will be completed when weather allows.

City’s taxable valuation up nearly 4 percent

City assessor Kristy O’Connor delivered the annual tax equalization report. The issue for 2022 was the sale of vacant residential lots, one of which sold for $40,000. O’Connor said the average price for that size lot is $5,000, so valuations could rise further if the trend continues. There were 25 residential sales in 2022, with an average sales price of $50,700.

“Commercial property continued to be a hot commodity in 2022 and I see it as being a challenge going forward,” O’Connor noted. She said she made various corrections to reflect the rapidly changing market. There were eight commercial property sales in 2022 and four commercial building permits approved.

The city approved a total of 20 building permits in 2022 with a value of $1.4 million. Five properties were removed from the tax rolls, three by demolition and two due to fire.

In 2023, there are 13 properties approved for disabled veteran’s property tax credits and another 39 properties that qualify for the homestead credit. A total of $39,705 in such credits will be reimbursed to the county by the state.

The projected total taxable valuation of the city is $2,871,825, an increase of 3.66 percent overall. Residential properties account for 68.77 percent of the value and have risen by 1.12 percent. Commercial properties make up 31.23 percent and have risen by 10.27 percent.

In other business:

• The city approved a building permit for Hager Excavating to build a shop on lots west of 13th Street.

• The first reading of the new lodging tax ordinance was approved. City attorney Travis Peterson said he used the Steele ordinance as a model, which doesn’t specify which organization will oversee the funds, as that is yet to be determined. The 1 percent tax on all overnight stays of 30 days or less at hotels, motels and lodges in city limits would go into effect later this year. The required second reading will be held at the next monthly meeting.

The next city commission meeting will be held on Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m.