Soaring metal prices stoke rash of manhole cover thefts

A spate of manhole cover thefts in San Luis, Ariz., over the past month has officials concerned about safety hazards the missing gratings may pose.

More than two dozen manhole and water-valve covers have been stolen from city streets leaving gaping holes creating a hazard for unsuspecting motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.

The 26-inch-diameter covers protect vital underground sanitation infrastructure at a depths of 5 to 25 feet, according to Karin Meza, city of San Luis spokeswoman.

Meza noted that city officials believe thieves are swiping the covers in order to resell them for their metal value. Scrap metal sold for $77 a ton in 2001 and today it is nearly $500 a ton, according to published reports.

"Thieves get $15 or $20 per cover," Meza said. "But it costs $140 to replace the water hole covers and $60 to replace the water valve covers."

Thieves are targeting the newer subdivisions of Las Brisas and Los Alamos, where there are not a lot of people living now, as well as rural roads where there is little or no street lighting. Yet as soon as covers are reported missing, San Luis city staff close off the openings with traffic cones, Meza said.

San Luis is also taking a more proactive approach by filling in the space surrounding the covers with cement, said John Starkey, director of the Department of Public Works (DPW).

"It makes it more difficult for DPW crews but it acts as a deterrent," Starkey said.

He also said they are looking into getting locks. As another alternative, next week a visiting supplier will demonstrate a comparable fiberglass substitute. Because these covers are much lighter, they come equipped with locks.

"It stands to reason an open manhole cover on a dark street at night is a dangerous situation," Starkey said. "And the toxic gas sewers carry have a potential to cause serious damage."

Sgt. Gerardo Torres, San Luis Police Department spokesman, said they have not recovered any of the missing covers or caught any of the thieves. Officers from the department have visited police in San Luis Rio Colorado, Son, where they were taken to several junk dealers but there was no evidence of their missing covers. One problem is the stolen covers have not been stamped with a city ID, he explained.

It is also a problem for the city of Yuma, but only four covers were stolen between May and June, said Clint Norred, Yuma Police Department spokesman. But Yuma covers cost $300 to $500 plus labor to replenish. Two covers were recently stolen from Joe Henry Park, he noted.

"It's a significant drop," Norred said. "There's no ladder to climb out, so you're stuck in the plumbing so to speak."

He also said that in response to increasing thefts of recyclable metals during the previous year, Arizona Statute 44-1642 was updated last summer to require all scrap metal dealers to keep a record of any transaction greater than $25, including the seller's driver's license number, so it is unlikely thieves are reselling stolen property locally .

Norred added that just last week, YPD met with Mexican authorities to work together to resolve the issue.

Other cities across the country have also spotted a trend in manhole cover thefts. More than 50 were stolen in Long Beach, Calif., since Jan., 30. A booming market for recycled metals in China, India and other developing countries is cited as the reason behind the burgeoning black market, according to published reports.

The San Luis Police Department recently dispatched special night patrols looking for cover thefts. The police ask anyone with information about stolen manhole covers to call 341-2432 to report anonymously.

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.