Roy residents and members of the community have raised concerns for years regarding the quality of the city’s water. Residents have said that the water is brown and contaminated with iron and PFAs (per-and polyfluorinated substances), and Mayor Kimber Ivy has made it a priority of hers since her appointment in April to address the issue.
The city recently presented the council with a quote for a water rate study for the council to review before deciding to move forward with the study. The study would help the council learn more about the infrastructure to determine the costs of the water system and its supplies, as well as the necessary steps to address the quality issues.
Mayor Ivy said during the Oct. 23 council work session that the council has met with state officials, including Rep. J.T. Wilcox, last month to discuss the issue. She also said the council is looking for grants that could help with upgrades, as fixing it could cost millions of dollars, but town officials are also looking into other possible sources of funding.
“This is a multifaceted issue. We have to start somewhere,” she said. “It seems so daunting right now, but let’s take it one step at a time. Our water system needs help. The water looks like Coca-Cola, and it’s getting darker. But fixing this problem is not going to be free.”
Councilor Yvonne Starks suggested building a new water reservoir in Roy, but she admitted that grants would likely be necessary to accomplish that.
“I’ve been beating this drum for almost nine years now that we need a new reservoir because we can’t retrofit the one we have until we do,” she said during the work session. “We had a grant for nearly $600,000 to do a retrofit, but it would shut that system down for about six months and we don’t have another alternative for it.”
Starks expressed concerns about residents living on lower incomes having to pay for water that isn’t usable. She estimated that residents pay an average of $80 per month on water, including consumption.
“Those that live in old Roy are definitely low income. There’s a number of people that live in our community that are at moderate income. Some people are scrambling to try to create or get the money together to pay their bills,” she said.
Ivy said that the project to save the city’s water system is going to take every single person on the council to help find funding for it. She said that, while spending $29,000 for the rate study wouldn't be popular among residents, the study’s findings, if approved, would give the council a clue as to what it is dealing with so that it can devise a plan of action.
“We have to do what’s best for the city. I’m frustrated with it,” Ivy said. “It’s not OK where we’re at. I’m not happy with what we’re providing our community, and I know the rest of the council isn’t either.”
