Written by Tanya Terry
During the April 27 Flint City Council meeting, reconsideration of a contract for the $14.7 million construction of a 5.5-mile pipeline connecting Flint to its emergency backup supply of water and a contract for the $2.1 million reconstruction of Dort Reservoir was pushed to the next general meeting.
The pipeline and reservoir are part of a project plan that was approved in 2018 that included a number of projects, according to the state’s director for drinking water and environmental health, Eric Oswald.
“The original construction completion date I believe was the end of December 2019,” Oswald said. “Currently, it’s the end of December of 2020. So, we’re behind by a year right now. So, I believe it’s in the best interest of the city to proceed with this.”
“I think everyone is aware that the Great Lakes Water Authority is a single point of failure,” Oswald said .
“So, with that if transmission made from the Great Lakes Water Authority is interrupted for any reason the city only basically has the water that it has in its storage which is about one day available for provision of water to the city and that’s certainly not an acceptable situation for the EPA or EGLE,” Oswald said when discussing the need for the pipeline.
He said if Flint treated its own water it would cost tens-of-millions-of-dollars and cause an unnecessary delay in a building a secondary water source.
The pipeline would be built by L.D.’ Agostini & Sons of Macomb and will come from the Genesee County Drain Commission and administered to the city by the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley said Energy (EGLE), the Michigan Department of Environment and Great Lakes have approved the required bid documentation.
Councilman Eric Mays motioned to postpone both the projects.
“I’m going to do what’s right for the city of Flint residents under the circumstances,” Mays said.
He said he was just and an optimistic guy.
“I still believe we’re going to have a beautiful treatment plant one day for my kids and grandkids and great grandkids,” Mays added.
The project would be federally funded. The construction and the costs for the project have been approved by the water infrastructure finance division, according to Oswald.
Kate Fields voted no to postpone and said the whole purpose of the projects was to protect the citizens of the city.
“If the GLWA line goes down, we have an alternative for treated water,” Fields said. “I’ve listened to my colleagues tonight, and I have to say, to me, I haven’t heard one valid reason to postpone. I think it is political vote and I think the majority of my colleagues understand that we really have no choice at this point in time but to approve these. So, I’m sorry that people are willing to play politics with the lives of the people in this city.”
Mays said there hadn’t been a backup water system for 50 years.
Other council members said they were not politically motivated either and hadn’t gotten the answers they were looking to get. All documentation for the reservoir had not been turned in according to the council president, Monica Galloway.
Councilwoman Eva Worthing said were politics involved because some council members did not like Mayor Neeley.
The next city council meeting takes place May 11.
