| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
It appears that wasit4sure and I may have the same information. Although this road is in Genesee Township, the Water main break may be the 72 inch water main from Detroit. And yes, this leak belongs to the City of Flint to repair, although Genesee County helped fix the leak last time. The infrastructure of the water pipe line from Detroit is from the 1960's.
Genesee County has water storage tanks if the system has to be shut down for repair.
Genesee Road between Carpenter and Richfield closed because of watermain break
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 8:46 AM Updated: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 8:57 AM
By David Harris | dharris5@mlive.com
GENESEE TOWNSHIP, MI -- Genesee Road between Carpenter and Richfield roads is shutdown because of a water main break, according to Genesee Township Police.
The road was partially shutdown Tuesday and closed this morning, according to police.
Motorists are asked to seek an alternate route.
There is no timetable as to when it will reopen.
ic23b April 25, 2012 at 12:43PM
Now will they fix it properly or will they do one of their band-aid repairs so they can keep digging it up every few months
wasit4sure April 25, 2012 at 2:30PM
I can promise you if they hire the same incompetent contractor(s) they used the last two times they tried to repair it then it won't be fixed right again. This is what you get when your let Lansing decide what is best for the management of Flint. They allow those who have NO clue what they're doing to collect HUGE taxpayer funded paychecks to pretend like they do.
Expect more of the same as the little dictator in Lansing and his puppet minions in Flint decide which of their crony friends will get some sweetheart deal to try and fix it again
. Mark my words. It will happen. |
|
|
Wed Apr 25, 2012 2:46 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
| FLINT MUST PAY DETROIT FOR "WATER LOST IN THE SYSTEM". SO WATER USERS MUST ANTE UP THE COSTS FOR THIS WATER MAIN BREAK IF IT IS INDEED THE CITY OF FLINT LINE. |
|
|
|
Wed Apr 25, 2012 2:58 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Water main line construction forces road closure for weeks
Posted: May 09, 2012 6:09 PM EDT Updated: May 09, 2012 6:40 PM EDT
By Kristen Abraham - bio | email
GENESEE TOWNSHIP (WJRT) -
(05/09/12) - Repairs on a water line in Genesee County is taking much longer than residents expected.
Genesee Road between Richfield and Carpenter Road has been closed for two weeks to replace a City of Flint valve.
No one seems to know why the repairs have taken so long. Barry Russell wants the truth."You just get the big run around from everyone. Couple weeks of ago they started with a basic main replacement, they were working on that and the next thing you know the whole road is closed down."
Wednesday, crews just started to lay the concrete. ABC12 News was told the water line has been repaired.
"If it's been leaking for several years, why haven't they replaced and fix it in the first place, and take precautions so the road doesn't cave in? It's a major safety issue because we can't first responders down here," Russell added.
What started out as a simple valve replacement perhaps turned into a major project to repair a leak. Richard Palmer said the road has been torn up several times to repair that same leak since he moved to Genesee Township seven years ago. "This is the fourth time they've dug it up since I've been here. Hope they got it fixed this time
."
On top of their concerns, it's been an inconvenience for Barry and Richard who say the roadway has been closed long enough.
"It's been going on for three weeks now, another two weeks, that's over a month, that's too much," Palmer added.
At last check with the City of Flint, they were working on getting hold of officials in the water department. |
|
|
|
Wed May 09, 2012 6:19 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Genesee County preparing for sale of land for Lake Huron pipeline to Karegnondi Water Authority
Published: Wednesday, May 09, 2012, 1:10 PM Updated: Wednesday, May 09, 2012, 1:11 PM
By Ron Fonger | RFONGER1@mlive.com
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The county has taken the first step toward selling about 40 acres of property where the Karegnondi Water Authority plans to build an intake and pumping station for a proposed Lake Huron water pipeline.
The county Board of Commissioners gave tentative approval today to splitting two parcels of property it purchased in Worth Township -- one directly on the lake and the second parcel directly across a road from the lakefront property.
Karegnondi, the regional authority formed to build the pipeline, needs pieces of each parcel. The authority is made up of Genesee, Lapeer and Sanilac counties, and the cities of Flint and Lapeer.
"It's another step in the process of constructing our pipeline," county Drain Commissioner Jeff Wright said.
The sale price and purchase agreement are still being developed but the county is expected to receive about $350,000 for the land, Wright said.
Andrew C. Thompson, assistant corporation counsel for the county, said the sale will "be contingent on a decision to move forward with construction of the pipeline project."
A sale of the land is expected to be before commissioners in July, according to a memorandum from Thompson.
Commissioners have been strong boosters of the project, which has been estimated to cost $600 million to construct, for several years.
The county's two parcels were purchased in a 2002 auction of land by Detroit Edison, which sold the county a total of 326 acres of scenic woods, grassy meadows and 300 feet of lake frontage for $2.7 million.
The pipeline project has been a holding pattern for several months as the city of Flint's financial problems led to the appointment of emergency manager Mike Brown.
Since Brown's appointment, Flint officials have been re-examining the benefits of remaining a part of Karegnondi, remaining a customer of the city of Detroit or using the Flint River as a source of water.
Other communities have been waiting for Flint to commit to the project and for city officials to commit to a certain volume of water it will purchase.
Although the county has started the process of designing the water intake for the pipeline, it is waiting for capacity commitments before determining the size of the primary transmission line to carry the water here.
|
|
|
|
Wed May 09, 2012 6:22 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
fedupinflint May 09, 2012 at 2:49PM
Just another low information, uninformed, "comment" from the Barge. Sounds like Wright is ready to leave Flint to it's own low flow, filthy river water and I wouldn't blame him. Do you believe he hasn't already planned for this contingency ? Do you think he needs Flint to make this project work ?
SaulTelode May 09, 2012 at 3:54PM
Pump the water out of the Flint River. Seems like the cheapest and fastest way to do this thing.
fedupinflint May 09, 2012 at 6:01PM
Hey Mo,
You and your buddy Ron haven't been to the upper reaches of the watershed (below the dam) where the river was only ankle to knee deep before this weeks rainfall. Then maybe you can make an "informed" statement. |
|
|
|
Wed May 09, 2012 6:24 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Massive water leak, theft contribute to Flint water rate increases, officials say
Published: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:50 AM
By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
FLINT, MI --
For more than a year, a massive break in a Flint water main leaked millions of gallons of water underground before workers were able to detect the leak and fix it, officials said.
Flint leaders estimate the recently repaired break cost the city more than $800,000 in lost water -- not including the cost of repairs.
And lost water from water main breaks is just part of the problem, officials say.
The city estimates that more than 30 percent of the water it buys from Detroit is never billed for by Flint.
Typically, that number should be about 15 percent or less, officials said.
Genesee County, by comparison, estimates that only about 4 percent of the water it buys from Detroit is unmetered water, said Deputy Drain Commissioner John O'Brien.
"If you think about it, if (Flint is) losing 30 percent, each homeowner paying for the water has to pay for that," he said. "Even at 15 percent, it means you have a significant problem."
And main breaks aren't the only water problem the city is dealing with.
With two double-digit water rate increases in the past year and a half, water theft is increasingly becoming an issue in Flint, said Howard Croft, Flint's development and infrastructure director under emergency manager Michael Brown.
Since he was hired, Croft has been investigating the city's significant problem with unmetered water. Now that they've identified some of the causes, the city is working on ways to stabilize the water rates, he said.
Croft said there's no way to quantify how much of the unmetered water is stolen, but said his office has received numerous photos of cut meters as well as and allegations of residents bypassing their water meters or businesses stealing from the hydrants.
City officials list the water losses as one of many contributors to the 25 percent water and sewer rate increase that has angry Flint residents up in arms and staging protests at City Hall.
The rate increase is expected to go into effect next month and follows two double-digit rate hikes in 2011.
Emergency manager Michael Brown and his administrators say steep population loss, rate hikes passed on from Detroit -- the city's water source -- as well as the increasing legacy costs of the city's utility workers are all factors in the increase.
"The age of the infrastructure comes into play here. We're not unique in this. A lot of water systems are subject to this kind of disaster potential," said Croft.
The cause of the massive water main break is still being investigated, Croft said.
It could have happened when Detroit's Water and Sewerage Department, which supplies Flint's water, switched pump stations without notifying the city, said Daugherty Johnson, provisional utilities administrator under Brown. The switch could have caused a sudden burst of pressure that ruptured the aging water main, he said.
Johnson said the break took months to identify and repair because the water found its water into a storm sewer and flowed away from the break. It took two or three tries before workers were able to repair it, he said.
"We've taken pictures (of the damage)," Johnson said. "Our next step is calling Detroit's risk management."
Rodney Johnson, spokesman for the Detroit water system, said the agency is aware of leaks in Flint and is collecting data from the city for an investigation, but said a cause hasn't been determined.
"We don't have any evidence that our Detroit system has caused any leaks in Flint," he said.
Infrastructure issues aside, the head of the city's landlord association predicts the city's water woes will worsen once the rate hike goes into effect.
"They're going to have to do something. The theft issue is a big one," said Terry Hanson, executive director of the Genesee Landlord Association. "When you price water out of the means of the people, they're going to steal it."
Hanson, a landlord who also lives in Flint, said he has discovered a few cases of tenants stealing water. In one case he reported last year, the city forwarded him the bill for $300.
"I want to see them give the bill to the people who stole the water," he said, saying landlords would then be more inclined to report theft allegations.
Hanson said the water rate increases could drive more people out of the city. Some residents could lose their homes or get evicted because of unpaid bills or shutoffs, while others will leave to avoid paying the water rates, he said.
"The people should pay their bills," Hanson said. "The city should also make it affordable."
The city is preparing for a crackdown on water theft, Croft said. Water that isn't paid for only increases the burden for people who are paying their bills, he said.
"We are trying to get people to locate this and let us know if they see it," Croft said of theft. "We want them to know they can be prosecuted."
Genesee County has strictly enforced its water theft prevention program for about seven years, O'Brien said.
The consequences include court fines and liens on property or equipment, he said.
"The word is out that if we catch you, we take your equipment," O'Brien said. "We're very proactive."
Croft said the city's legal department is analyzing the possible repercussions for plumbers caught bypassing meters or residents caught stealing.
"That's water that Detroit knows is coming into Flint but is not monitored coming out," he said. "We have to raise people's rates to try to account for that loss."
Croft said city officials are expected to outline the city's water issues, including what is factored in the water rate increase and potential options for future water sources, at an as-yet-unscheduled public forum. |
|
|
|
Thu May 10, 2012 8:06 am |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
