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Old pipes beneath River Heights causing residential mess By
Anna Brunson RIVER HEIGHTS -- Even though its size is small, River Heights is one of the oldest cities in Cache Valley. Recently its age has begun to show in the water and sewer systems running beneath the city. Sediment, splitting, and sewage are some of the problems the City Council has had to deal with this fall. Now, the council has to decide what damages caused by the system should be paid for by the city. Ray McClure and other residents on River Heights Boulevard suffered hundreds of dollars of damage when sand and sediment built up in their water filters, causing high water pressure that burst hoses and caused flooding. Sand collected in sinks and bathtubs. Some residents even had to spend several days this summer without water. "I understand that these things happen," said McClure. "I just wanted to know if I can get any help from the city." Councilman Noel Cooley, who is in charge of water and sewer, doesn't think River Heights holds any responsibility. "[Sediment] has been there all the time," said Cooley. "There's nothing that the city can do to remove it. It's been going on for years, and it's a function of the system." "Just because it's always been there, doesn't make it right," said McClure. Although the periodic tests on water don't include sediment tests, the system is flushed twice a year to deal with sediment problems. River Heights resident Sharon Nielsen also approached the city about damages in her basement from a backed-up sewer. Codder & Sons, a contractor, came to Nielsen's house to reseal her sewer pipe to the main connection with epoxy. This method, which Cooley calls "rudimentary," temporarily clogs the pipe until Roto Rooter is called to clear it out again. Pipe resealing is done in areas in River Heights on a periodic basis to compensate for old pipes that do not fit each other snugly anymore. After the pipe had been resealed and cleaned, several backups filled Nielsen's basement with sewage. She was left with a clean-up bill of almost $4,000. "My storage room, family room, and bathroom were all covered with sewage," said Nielsen. "My bathtub was filled to the top with the stuff! By the second backup, Roto Rooter wouldn't even come out to fix it, and Val Codder refuses to pay me anything." Although Mayor Ralph Degn said that the city could not be responsible, he assured Nielsen that River Heights would put sanctions on Codder & Sons if they continued to avoid paying the damages. Recent weeks have also revealed a problem with old lead pipes in the water system. Lead water pipes were used to connect two longer lengths of steel pipes together because the lead can bend when the rigid steel pipes settle unevenly. Because lead is malleable, however, water also wears it away more quickly. As a result, some of the pipe connectors have been splitting, causing leaks and flooding. "One of the cracks was 8 inches long," said City Recorder Sheila Lind. Although the worn pipes are evidence that some lead has gotten in the water, Cooley says that no tests have shown dangerous lead levels in the water. River Heights' decomposing pipe system is not only an engineer's headache, it is an insurance nightmare. Homeowners like McClure and Nielsen are wondering where to get compensation for damages, but it doesn"t look like it will be from the city. "How can the city be responsible for things inside a person's home?" asked Councilman Brent Greenhalgh. "If we accept these [damages], we are opening a can of worms."
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