 At the request of officials from the Great Lakes Water Authority and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, the Water Resources Commissioner sent two heavy duty vacuum trucks with teams of workers to help clear sewer lines and clear streets from overflow during the early morning hours of Friday, July 8th through Saturday morning, July 9th.
“We are part of this region and want to be good neighbors,” said Jim Nash, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner. “With these kinds of intense storms increasing in frequency and in the volume of rain, we need to be able to help each other and we are happy to be of assistance."
Utility crews were mobilized that Friday in Detroit to clear streets of water and debris. The flooding occurred primarily on the city's lower east side, according to the DWSD. Parts of Detroit received nearly three inches of rain in just a few hours. The immense volume of rainwater was too great, even with all the equipment and pump station systems functioning properly and at full capacity, the Great Lakes Water Authority reported.
Residents of an estimated 2,000 homes on Detroit’s lower east side suffered basement flooding early Friday after thunderstorms pummeled the city with rain, according to city officials, and that area -- the Jefferson-Chalmers district -- can expect more flooding from future heavy rains because it's a low-lying area that's at the tail end of much of Detroit's sewer system, said an expert on the area's infrastructure.
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The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s office assumed full management of the Pontiac Wastewater Treatment Facility July 1st as the final step in the transfer of the operation of the city’s water and sewer system from the private contractor, SUEZ, formerly known as United Water. SUEZ had been operating the system under contract since 2011.
“Management of this type of facility is part of our core work and our staff members are very familiar with the Pontiac plant,” said Jim Nash, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner. “We believe our history in this kind of work will result in excellent and improved service for Pontiac residents and the tributary communities.”
Since transfering the treatment facility from the City of Pontiac to the WRC, Oakland County has received $4 million in Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater grants (SAW) for assessment of the wastewater treatment and collection system. The grant has allowed the WRC to televise over 275,000 linear feet of sewer (approximately 21 percent of the system) and conduct condition assessment of more than 700 assets of the system. Additionally, the County has invested nearly $16 million in improvements to the wastewater system, utilizing more than $1.1 million in Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Green Project Reserve grants and DTE energy incentives.
“This kind of investment will improve the future reliability of the system and prevent and minimize emergency repairs that are more expensive,” Nash said.
Since the beginning of the transfer of management of the Pontiac water and sewer systems the WRC has begun major infrastructure improvements including replacing water mains, repairing frozen water lines during winter months, and prompt restoration activities in the spring. The WRC also began a program for the replacement of all customer water meters across the city to improve accuracy and reliability. Begun last year, the contract with Vanguard Utility Service, Inc. will replace water meters inside homes and install reading devices near the meter on an outside wall.
The water mains being replaced are part of this infrastructure improvement. To date, an estimated 3.5 miles of water mains have been replaced on a dozen streets. The WRC is also reconstructing streets after the water main work is completed in partnership with the City of Pontiac and the State of Michigan.
“These kinds of infrastructure repair and replacement projects are critical to the quality of life for people in this region,” Nash said. With Pontiac as the county seat of government, we are pleased to make these investments in our region’s future.”
 A group of professionals from various organizations and agencies in the water resources and public services fields came together in early 2016 to create a video public service announcement. The goal was to educate people about the costs and damage that result to our wastewater systems from flushing wipes and other items down the toilet. They used creativity and humor to get the message across and the result was a two minute video created right here in Southeast Michigan. This video is now available at no charge and is being sent out to cities, villages, towns and other organizations across the region, and eventually will go statewide and around the Great Lakes.
Conceived and written by staff members from Oakland County’s WRC and the Great Lakes Water Authority, the video was filmed in Ferndale Michigan. The total cost of the PSA was less than $950 and was sponsored by Pure Oakland Water.
View the video at the link below, and please consider posting it on your website and sharing it on Facebook or other social media. You can also forward the email and link to lists you choose. We are proud of what we created and ask you to feel free to send us feedback, opinions or thoughts you may have on the production.
https://youtu.be/KJjZlFtvvVQ
Craig Covey
Board Member, Pure Oakland Water
Community Liaison
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office
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