Flint Approves Deal with Karegnondi Water Authority, Plans to Leave DWSD

Last night, the Flint City Council voted 7-1 to approve a resolution to buy its water from the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA), rather than Detroit.  Flint would buy up to 16 million gallons of raw water per day from the KWA, which took bids on February 26, 2013 to construct an intake pipeline. No contract has been awarded, and work has not started.

Under the new plan, Flint will be required to treat the raw water it buys from KWA, and also rely on the Flint River as back-up. In either case, Flint will have to rely on its existing water treatment plant to process the raw water it receives from KWA. In 2011, a Flint engineering firm (Rowe) estimated that Flint's water treatment plan needed $61 million in capital upgrades. Because Flint is still under the control of an Emergency Manager, state approval is required to sign a new water supply contract with KWA.

For previous posts about the Karegnondi Water Authority, its creation and history to date, click here.    

For more about DWSD Update, click here.