Officials note progress made in Flint lead pipe removal
Flint — Officials said Monday “good progress” is being made in the second phase of Mayor Karen Weaver’s lead service line removal program but warned the next phase may be put on hold because of the oncoming winter months.
Weaver on Monday praised work crews who’ve removed and replaced some 50 water lead service lines from a planned 200 to 250 locations in September, adding their efforts were “giving residents a sense of hope.”
The second phase is being funded with money from a state refund of $2 million — funds from having to switch back to Great Lakes Water Authority in the midst of the city emergency last year.
Brig. Gen. Michael McDaniel, who is spearheading the initiative, said the second phase could be completed this month. He has recommended crews remove about “10-12 lines a day, and we’re on track to do that.”
But McDaniel acknowledged issues in removal of lines have arisen, mostly in terms of “finding the curb stop (a residential waterline valve that rests between a home and a municipal main).”
“I’ve heard anecdotally from the crew members that there was an ordinance with the city some 50 years ago for ‘greener cities’ that residents were asked to plant two trees and to mark their gas and water lines.”
The result of those efforts, according to McDaniel, is “those spots where they put those saplings in are now 40-50 year old trees, so we’re either having trouble finding the curb stop or it is intertwined with tree roots.”
Other factors are driveways, lines going over to neighboring properties and, at times, multiple lines coming out of a main. These issues slow crews down by hours and, at times, "added day of work.”
Flint is seeking to replace 11,300 lead and galvanized steel residential water pipelines that engineers believe were damaged by the city’s April 2014 switch to corrosive Flint River water. The first phase of Weaver’s plan removed more than 30 lead service lines.
McDaniel, eager to get started now with the third phase of the project, said with the next round of funding — $25 million from state appropriations — an additional 300 lines can be removed before the winter months bring work to a halt. The next phase is for 1,030 additional lines and a pre-bid meeting will take place Tuesday at Flint’s City Hall.
Officials believe they have enough funding to replace about 5,000 lead service lines.
McDaniel said he hopes to have potential bidders for the third phase by the end of next week. The City Council will consider their bids by Sept. 26 and will go before the Receivership Transition Advisory Board by mid-October. The start date for the third phase isn’t expected before Oct. 12.
“I don’t think we can do all 1,030 by mid-October and when the asphalt rules take place by the 15th of November,” he said.
McDaniel does hope an arrangement can be made with the city to continue “thereafter; if not, we’ll have to wait till March or April.”
Meanwhile, responding to statements made by Mark Durno, supervisory engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency, Weaver said residents in the city must remain on filtered water for the rest of the year, as a study of water quality is completed.
Weaver said Monday the city needs more funding for pipe removal “because we shouldn’t have to be forced to drink filtered water, we should be able to choose whether or not we’re going to use filters.”
Weaver will be heading to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with Michigan’s delegation in Congress to push for further funding for pipe removal and infrastructure spending for the Vehicle City.
“We need this money to still come from the state and federal government, and we’re still holding them accountable,” Weaver said. “Residents should be able to turn on their water without having to worry whether it may be harmful to their health.”