On June 20 crews dug around a leaking valve at the corner of North Main Street and Wampler Avenue after someone in the neighborhood noticed water in the area, Smith said. Since then, the right lane of North Main has been shut down near the intersection and the center of Wampler Avenue blocked off with a large pool of water that spills down hill into the neighborhood east of North Main Street.
“We understand it’s totally inconvenient and we regret that,” Smith said.
The department has been waiting for a replacement part needed to make the repair. After an inquiry by the Dayton Daily News, the department announced that the repair will be made this Monday.
The county has eliminated about $3.5 million and nine positions since 2009 from the Environmental Services department which includes water, sewer and solid waste, according to budget documents. The water department’s field services crew has been reduced from 30 workers to 27.
The cuts came after Montgomery County commissioners declined to implement water and sewer rate hikes the last two years, citing a bad economy. Commissioners decided against allowing an already-approved 5 percent rate increase for 2010 to be implemented. It would have cost the average residential user an additional $30 a year and the average commercial user about $405.
The decision eliminated about $3.8 million in anticipated revenue for the water department, leading to cuts across the organization.
Montgomery County provides 14 communities with water by purchasing it from the city of Dayton, which operates the region’s largest well field.
“I understand money is tight, but no one has communicated the problem with a valve to us,” said Bob Hartman, a resident in the soggy neighborhood. “They covered the hole (in the street) with a big sheet of metal and left and no work has been done since. When I call all they do is make excuses.”
Smith said 15 field service employees are assigned to fix the leak Monday. The repair will cost between $15,000 and $20,000.
About 50 residents and businesses in the area will be notified by the county they will be without water from about 10 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Tuesday. She said the water loss from the leak “is minimal” and that it’s not being measured.
“It’s ridiculous with the bugs and I see cats out there so we call and complained and no one does nothing,” said Greg Farmer, 54, who lives on Wampler Avenue. “I had to replace this railing (because of the water) in my back yard for my girlfriend to use because she doesn’t get around real good. I had to pay for that.”
Smith said another reason for the delay is as problems are exposed, engineers are examining old pipes and valves to see what can be replaced to prevent future problems.
“We could just slap a Band-Aid on the problem and be done,” Smith said. “But we want to do some preventative work because usually we only respond to things after there’s a problem.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2494 or lsullivan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author