Another 39 metal lids covering water meters and manholes in Farmington went missing just last week, bringing the total number of heavy-metal covers stolen from city streets in the past five weeks to 174, the Farmington Daily Times reported.

The metal covers, which are between 12 and 24 inches in diameter and weigh more than 50 pounds, can be sold as scrap for about $40 each, the paper reported.

But the cost to replace the covers runs to about $275 apiece, bringing the city's bill so far to about $50,000, the Daily Times said.

And because it takes two weeks before replacement covers arrive, there are 63 holes around town that are covered with plywood, Farmington Public Works Director Jeff Smaka told the Daily Times.

Meanwhile, scrap yards around San Juan County say they're not accepting any of the stolen lids and have threatened to turn in anyone who tries to sell them to police, the paper reported.

A scrap yard worker who accepts one of the stolen lids could face a charge of fourth-degree receiving stolen property, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $2,500 fine, the Daily Times said.

The manhole-stealing craze -- which appears to be replacing copper-wire theft as the opportunistic crime du jour -- isn't just Farmington's problem, as a glance at Google News will show you, reporting manhole cover and storm-grate thefts from places as far flung as Flint, Mich., Yuma, Ariz., Greensboro, N.C., Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Namibia.

The Yorkshire Evening Post in the United Kingdom calls the thefts "The Great Drain Robbery."

And it's apparently growing in popularity.

In Phoenix, a total of six storm grates and and three manhole covers were reported stolen in all of 2007; so far this year, there have been 175 storm grates and 30 manhole covers stolen, The Arizona Republic reported.

8:50am 7/28/08 -- Someone's Stealing Farmington's Manhole Covers: More than 100 metal covers taken from area streets in the past three weeks.

Metal lids covering manholes and water meters are being stolen from Farmington-area streets faster than city officials can replace them, forcing crews to put up cones and boards around the gaping holes to prevent injury, the Farmington Daily Times reported.

More than 100 of the metal covers have disappeared in the past three weeks and half of those within the past week, the Farmington Public Works Department told the Daily Times.

Officials believe the covers are being sold for scrap, the paper said.

The covers, ranging between 12 and 24 inches in diameter and weighing more than 50 pounds, can fetch up to $40 as scrap, the Daily Times reported.

"Usually we lose one or two a month, maybe. Yesterday, we lost eight more," Public Works Director Jeff Smaka told the paper last week. "I'm bewildered ... we're getting hit very fast."

The cost of replacing a water meter lid is as much as $275, adding an estimated $27,500 to the city's budget so far, officials told the Daily Times.

Farmington police are investigating the thefts and hope residents will report any suspicious activity, the paper said.

"You can't stake out manhole covers and water meter covers," detective Lt. Steve Burch told the Daily Times. "We'll get a call from a citizen, we'll get a license plate number, because this isn't something you go tote around."