Approval given for contingency planning model for water main
Board agrees to pay engineering service for 96-inch main backup plan
Macomb Township’s Board of Trustees recently greenlit payment for a water main hydraulic model, a model that could illustrate an alternate emergency water main plan in the event of a water main break.
During a Dec. 7 regular meeting, DPW Director Kevin Johnson came before the board to request approval to pay Fishbeck for professional engineering services. The services would assist the township with a Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) 96-inch transmission main contingency plan.
The board approved the request for approval to pay Fishbeck for professional engineering services, to assist the township with the GLWA 96-inch transmission main contingency plan, in the amount of $10,000. Johnson said that the township would pay Fishbeck once the work is completed.
“Our engineering and water and sewer met with Great Lakes a few weeks ago to discuss contingency planning in case something were to happen,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said the discussion involved what could be done in terms of providing service to Macomb Township, as well as trying to get GLWA to provide more pressure to the north.
In a Nov. 30 memo to the board, Johnson wrote that GLWA is in the process of developing a contingency plan, should a failure occur on the 96-inch transmission main. He wrote that as part of the plan, GLWA is proposing to have Macomb Township served through two emergency connections with Clinton Township instead of the three metered connections Macomb Township has on GLWA transmission mains.
“So if the 96 were shut down, everyone is going to be fed from the south, so we are trying to figure out, how can they feed everyone from the south in a way that is more economical in their terms, making sure pressure is getting equalized faster, versus having people having boiled water alerts for three or four weeks,” Johnson said.
Johnson wrote in the Nov. 30 memo that Fishbeck’s scope of services would be to update the current Macomb Township water hydraulic model to include the two emergency connections with Clinton Township. The model would then be run under different scenarios to determine how the Macomb Township could be provided with water, should the 96-inch transmission main shut down. Johnson wrote that Fishbeck’s scope includes two meetings with GLWA staff to discuss findings.
“This is going to take working with Fishbeck to take our hydraulic model and see if we can utilize the two connections we have with Clinton Township, to see if it is a viable option, using a hydraulic model,” Johnson said. “So we are going to be working with Fishbeck on that along with engineering to perform and see if it is possible.”
In a Nov. 23 letter to Johnson from Fishbeck Vice President/Senior Civil Engineer Maria Sedki, Sedki wrote that it is unknown if Macomb Township could be served through the two emergency connections with Clinton Township instead of the three metered connections the township has on the GLWA transmission mains.
“It is likely that only a portion of Macomb Township could be served from Clinton Township,” Sedki wrote.
Johnson said that GLWA is asking several local communities to have discussions and explore options. He also said that the goal is first and foremost to ensure that enough pressure is supplied to Macomb Township residents in case of an emergency, and by paying for the hydraulic model, the township will be able to tell GLWA what sort of scenario ultimately works best for township resident needs in an emergency situation.
“There are three meter pits that worked. They are trying to take us off of them, some of them, our connections off of the mainline, so they can feed other communities to the north,” Johnson said. “So they are trying to see if they can, if we can get fed through Clinton Township with more water, which will allow the bigger mains to serve the community to the north for everyone to have pressure in a contingency situation.”
Johnson said that it could be ultimately determined that the three meter pits are the ideal situation for Macomb Township in an emergency.
“Again it is going to benefit all of us. The main goal is to make sure number one, that our residents have pressure. So we are not going to sacrifice our pressure so that somebody further north can have it. It is a team effort to see how we can all achieve this goal together without sacrificing what we have. If we determine that we can utilize one or two of these connections through Clinton but we need to utilize our existing TRVs that will be the findings that we have to go with. Whatever is necessary to make sure that our township functions. At that point then we will see what the best scenario is to get, that will allow us to have adequate pressure while sending pressure elsewhere,” Johnson said.
Trustee Frank Cusumano asked if more funding would be needed at the end of the study, if findings conclude that the Clinton Township connections can be used. Johnson said he did not believe costs would reoccur, particularly as Macomb Township has only the two connections to Clinton and two to Chesterfield Township.
In August, the GLWA’s Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility in St. Clair County experienced a water main break in its 120inch water transmission main. The Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility distributes finished drinking water to communities in the northern part of its service area. This water main was out of commission for weeks, prompting temporary boil water advisories and affecting water pressure.