November 23, 2007

Poll finds London residents believe city should increase infrastructure spending

LONDON,ON

In the wake of the recent watermain burst in downtown London — and the sinkhole and power blackout that ensued — a majority of residents believe that the city should increase its spending on replacing old water and sewer pipes, according to a construction industry-sponsored poll.

The poll also found that while a majority of residents support the idea of dedicating a portion of water-bill revenue to maintaining infrastructure, most surveyed aren’t wiling to pay increased water bills to deal with the problem.

The results come out of of an Ipsos-Reid poll of more than 500 London residents on behalf of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA)

The poll found that 83 per cent believe the cause of the burst main last month was the age of the pipes and the fact that they should have been replaced long ago, while nine per cent say that it was due to a lack of inspections and seven per cent believe that it was a random accident.

“London is not alone in now having to address the consequences of years of inadequate funding for water and sewer pipes,” said Frank Zechner, executive director of OSWCA.

“It is a major challenge right across the province.”

As efforts continue to restore the city’s downtown area where the accident occurred, 90 per cent of those surveyed area residents either strongly or somewhat agree that maintaining and upgrading water pipes should be one of the highest priorities for the city.

A similar number believe it would have cost a lot less to replace the old pipes than it is going to cost now to fix the burst watermain and sinkhole.

The poll found that London residents are virtually unanimous (98%) in their understanding that “these situations cause major disruptions for people and businesses.” A similar number are also concerned about similar incidents in the futures because of the age of city pipes.

“What is interesting about these numbers is not just the overwhelming degree to which Londoners support increased spending on maintenance of the water and sewer pipes in their city, but also the intensity with which they agree,” says Sean Simpson of Ipsos Reid.

“The fact that a substantial proportion of Londoners strongly believe that these pipes need to be replaced is sending a profound message to policy makers.”

The poll also found support for putting revenue from water bills into a dedicated reserve so that money is used only for improvements to the water system.

When asked if they would be willing to pay more than they are now for their water and sewer services (40 cents more a day was suggested) so the system could be improved, nearly one half (45 per cent) said they would support such a rate increase. A majority (55 per cent), however, would not be in favour of this proposition.

While 70 per cent of residents claim to have already been aware of the aging water system in the city, 30 per cent say this situation is the first time that they’ve really ever heard or thought about the issue.

“What this poll tells us is that people expect their municipality to deal with the issue, not through band-aid approaches, but by making significant new investments in replacing old systems,” OSWCA’s Zechner said.

“People don’t want a temporary fix. They want a lasting solution. And they insist that their local government make this a priority.”

OSWCA is a strong supporter of full-cost pricing – setting water rates at levels that cover the full cost of operations, maintenance and upgrades – so that municipalities such as London are able to sustain their water systems. This was a major recommendation of the Walkerton Inquiry.

The public opinion survey was conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association from Nov. 13 to Nov. 15, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 580 Ontarians living in the City of London, and who were aware of the watermain break and sinkhole that occurred, was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within approximately four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

DCN News Services

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