A proposal to make two emergency connections between the Oxford Township and Village water systems was approved 3-2 by the village council last week.
‘From an emergency standpoint, I believe this council has the obligation to do whatever is possible for water for the village,? said Councilman Tom Benner
The emergency connections would be located on the north and south sides of the village limits along M-24.
They would allow each community to share water with the other in the event of an emergency which impaired one of the municipality’s ability to provide water to its system’s users.
To ensure water from the two systems does not mix during non-emergency times each connection would be safeguarded by two locking gate wells.
‘Unless there’s an emergency, those gates, they’re going to be shut,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn, who made the proposal to council in person.
Each gate well would have different locks and keys. Each municipality would have its own key to its own lock.
‘Both (communities) would have to agree on what the emergency was to be able to open it up,? Dunn said. ‘You guys take care of your key, we’ll take care of our key. And believe me we’ll get together if there’s an emergency.?
The Oakland County Drain Commission along with the village’s engineering firm and environmental consultant all recommended the emergency connections.
It’s estimated installing these two connections would cost between $5,000 and $10,000. The total cost would be paid for by the township’s Water Fund, which consists of monies paid by residences and businesses hooked up to the system.
‘We’re not expecting the village to pay for any of this,? Dunn said.
Some council members wanted to know how an emergency would be defined, how the keys would be secured and who would authorize their use.
‘My concern is what constitutes an emergency, the safeguards on the key and the valves,? said village President George DelVigna.
‘We need to know where (the keys) are,? said Councilman Dave Bailey. ‘We need to know how to find them. We need to know when the authorization has been given to use them. We need to know who has the technical capability of using the keys. If you handed me the key, I wouldn’t know what to do with it.?
‘Turn it,? Dunn replied.
‘It may be that simple, may be not,? Bailey said.
Councilperson Teri Stiles inquired if it would be possible to come up with a list of examples of emergencies, possible scenarios where the connection would be opened.
Examples such as tornadoes, lightning strikes, ice storms and terrorist attacks were mentioned during the discussion.
But Bailey opposed the list idea.
‘I for one will vote ‘no? on any proposal that would result in the council being bound by a list of emergencies on a piece of paper,? he said.
Dunn said he would ‘defer? to the fire chief on what constitutes an emergency.
‘I would probably leave it up to our fire chief,? the supervisor said. ‘He is our emergency coordinator. He works for our whole fire district which encompasses both municipalities. He’s the one that’s going to need some water.?
The supervisor pointed out even if it was decided that the chief would make the call on emergencies, each community could still hold onto its key.
‘If you don’t give up your key, that water isn’t going to flow,? Dunn said. ‘At the township level, I would expect to have the key in our safe.?
Dunn noted procedures surrounding the connection’s safeguards and use can be established later as the system wouldn’t be constructed until at least spring or summer next year.
‘We can do a concept and then work out the details,? he said.
DelVigna said he was ‘concerned about the water going back and forth? between the two systems. He expressed concern about the ‘mechanics of the connections,? the possibility of leaks.
‘Nobody assured me yet that there’s no flaw in the system,? he said. ‘I would like to have some assurance that it’s as safe as humanly possible. Because other communities have done it, that doesn’t mean it’s flawless.?
‘It’s going to be inspected,? noted Dunn, adding the village can have its DPW look it over.
Bailey said he sees advantages and disadvantages to the lock gate wells and other connection methods as well as ‘vulnerabilities.?
Stiles noted ‘we have had recommendations by engineers that do understand it,? plus Jim Smith, superintendent of the village’s water treatment plant, ‘doesn’t see a problem with the system.?
‘I am totally for it,? Stiles said.
Protecting the village water system was DelVigna’s main concern. ‘The village takes its water very seriously. It always has,? DelVigna said. ‘The village has pristine and clean high quality water.?
‘Is that to suggest the township doesn’t?? Dunn asked.
‘Not as good as ours,? DelVigna replied.
‘The village is happy to help its neighbor,? DelVigna replied, ‘but we want to ensure we don’t have the kinds of contamination problems that may have happened in the past.?
DelVigna brought up the contamination in the Red Barn subdivision involving a well field no longer in use that happened in the early-to-mid 1990s and how the township ‘thumbed its nose? at the village’s offer to provide water at the time.
Dunn pointed out how that incident took place before he was on township board and before DelVigna was on council. Neither of them even lived in Oxford at the time.
As for the township’s water quality, the supervisor said, ‘We do the same thing you do with your water plants. We’re licensed under the State of Michigan. We check (the water) yearly. We check (it) monthly. We’re not serving sludge out there. We have an iron problem.?
That’s why the township has already built one treatment plant and is in the process of constructing a second. The plants are designed to remove both iron and arsenic (to meet federal standards lowered in January) from the well water.
Benner put a stop to the arguing.
‘I think Mr. Dunn has come here with good intentions of doing something good for the entire community,? he said. ‘The county has suggested this. The engineers have suggested this. We can sit here and bicker back and forth for hours on what to do and how to do it. In an emergency, depending on what it is and where it is, somebody either in the village or the township is going to need water.?
‘I think we’re going to be pretty small to turn down an opportunity to have water in case of an emergency,? Benner said. ‘As an elected official it’s my responsibility to do what I feel is best for the community ? that’s the township and the village.?
Council members Stiles and Chris Bishop agreed and voted with Benner for the proposal. DelVigna and Bailey voted against.