萨克拉门托市推进雨水排水费率检讨：审计指系统年资金缺口约480万美元
加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托市（Sacramento）市议会10月27日批准市审计官的雨水排水基金检讨报告，并启动正式费率制定程序，为这个部分设施已有上百年历史的排水系统寻找可持续财源。
市审计官的检讨报告盘点了系统家底：全市共有1,087英里排水管道（其中868英里为干管、219英里为进水口支管）、132英里大口径管道、21,500个检查井、76个调蓄池与23英里由市府维护的堤防，部分设施已有100多年历史。
审计发现，分流式管道中只有约20%至25%做过闭路电视内部检测，自2016年以来积压了约5,800项未完成的维修工单。按现行费率推算，排水基金未来五年平均每年约有480万美元缺口，若不调整，基金余额将在本世纪30年代初耗尽并转负。
市议会批准检讨后，市府将按法定程序研究费率调整方案，其中一只基金可能的调整时间在2029年，另一只在2031年。任何费率变化都须经过公众通知与听证程序。
市府表示，雨水排水系统关系到全市防洪安全，费率检讨的目的，是在系统老化与极端降雨增多的背景下确保有足够资金做预防性维护，而不是等管道失效后再紧急抢修。
Sacramento, California: City Advances Storm Drainage Rate Review as Audit Finds About $4.8 Million Annual Funding Shortfall
The Sacramento City Council in Sacramento, California, on October 27 approved the City Auditor's Storm Drainage Funds Review and started a formal rate-setting process for a drainage system parts of which are more than a century old.
The auditor's review inventoried the system: 1,087 miles of pipelines (868 miles of mains and 219 miles of drain-inlet leads), 132 miles of large-diameter pipe, 21,500 manholes, 76 detention basins and 23 miles of city-maintained levees, with some components over 100 years old.
The audit found that only about 20 to 25 percent of separated pipes have been inspected by closed-circuit television, and roughly 5,800 work orders have been deferred since 2016. At current rates, the drainage funds face a projected shortfall of about $4.8 million a year over the next five years, and balances would be depleted and fall below zero by the early 2030s without changes.
With the review approved, the city will study rate adjustments through the legally required process, with possible changes from 2029 for one fund and 2031 for the other. Any rate change requires public notice and hearings.
City officials said the storm drainage system is central to flood safety, and the review aims to secure enough funding for preventive maintenance as the system ages and extreme rainfall becomes more common, rather than paying for emergency repairs after failures.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：萨克拉门托市政厅塔楼（资料图）。公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Sacramento City Hall tower (file photo). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
