Valve on 96-inch line at old Champion Bus damaged
IMLAY TWP. — Knowing they are living on a bit of borrowed time when it comes to a major water line valve issue, officials in Imlay Twp. are waiting to hear from experts before proceeding with repairs.
Supervisor Rick Farkas commented on the issue at Wednesday evening’s board meeting, saying a 96-inch water main is in jeopardy after township officials learned a large PRV valve has failed.
The valve helps control pressure to the line that feeds the former Champion Bus facility on Grahm Road.
The water supply comes from the Great Lakes Water system that pumps water from Lake Huron.
“It’s totally our problem,” Farkas said at the meeting. “We own it. We are looking at options at getting it fixed, but we can’t get any cooperation, no return calls from experts telling us they can get the parts we need.”
Farkas went on to add, “it puts us in kind of a pickle. We don’t have the parts to fix it. We could use a by-pass valve short term, but if we do that, we by-pass everything, including built in safety features.”
The supervisor told the board and audience the township has no idea what the price tag will be to fix it, but the valve has to be repaired regardless.
“It’s not going to be cheap, I can tell you that,” he told fellow board members.
The board later approved spending the necessary funding to make whatever repairs are required.
Although there has been no confirmation, Farkas believes the issue could be related to the major water line break in Port Huron that caused the entire system to be shut down for a period of time.
Officials believe sediment, including sand and dirt, may have been pushed through water lines, helping cause the damage to the PRV valve.
In the mean time, the board agreed to notify area fire departments that three hydrants that are typically available to fill water tankers are all out of service until further notice.
The Great Lakes Water line runs from an off-shore pumping station in Lake Huron, north of Port Huron to Flint, serving several communities along the way.
Imlay Twp. officials say they intend to notify their insurance company at some point, to see if any of their expenditures can be recovered with a potential claim.
