It’s been a hard year for Leamington’s sewers. A report to town council suggests the number of breaks in mainline sewers is double the number in years past.

The report says there have been 12 breaks in the first six months of 2014. Typically, the town has to make just five or six similar repairs in a year.

Mayor John Paterson admits it’s concerning, especially considering the town’s infrastructure deficit. “We’re talking $110-million or more of sewer replacements, separated and all that kind of stuff,” he says. “It’s going to take us years, decades unless there’s some magic money that pops up.”

He says Leamington is hardly alone grappling with huge sewer and road repairs and a dearth of cash to pay for it. He says the report will go to associations that represent municipalities at senior levels of government, “and get those upper bodies to realize that yeah, we have to give consistent grants so they can bring the infrastructure up.”