Showing posts with label CSO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSO. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

DWSD Pricey Land Acquisition is Old News

Recent reports (here and here) that DWSD paid more than $5 million an acre to acquire a 3.27 acre parcel of property along the Detroit River are old news.

With all due respect to suburban officials quoted by the Detroit Free Press, this land deal occurred 2 years ago. There's no doubt that DWSD paid too much for this property,  but both Oakland and Macomb County are represented on the Board of Water Commissioners.

On June 18, 2008, the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners approved the acquisition of the 3.27 acre parcel of land, known as the Atwater West Parcel, for $17,715,708.46, or more than $5.4 million per acre.

At the same meeting, the Board of Water Commissioners also approved the acquisition of a 28.665 acre parcel of property, known as “Revere Copper & Brass,” at 5601, 5815, and 5851 W. Jefferson Ave. for $5,000,000, or about $175,000 per acre.   

The resolutions to acquire these parcels of property, both slated for future CSO control facilities, were originally tabled, but then brought back on for reconsideration. And then they were both approved. All in the same meeting.

Commissioners at the June 18, 2008 Water Board Meeting raised concerns about the high cost of the Atwater property, more than $5.4 million per acre, but the purchase was eventually approved. This Board Meeting was also Director Victor Mercado’s last meeting before he resigned his position with the Department.  

Update: On August 17, 2010, the Detroit Free Press published a story (here) about the 28 acre Revere Copper property acquisition.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

DWSD Cancels Upper Rouge Tunnel Contract

The Detroit Free Press (here) and Environment News Service Newswire (here) report that on May 29, 2009, the City of Detroit (DWSD) canceled the contract for the Upper Rouge Tunnel CSO project.
"The tunnel was designed to be 30 feet in diameter. It would have run parallel the Rouge River, mostly under park space, 160 feet below ground from Pembroke Avenue and Berg to Warren Avenue and West Outer Drive. The tunnel was intended to cut the frequency of overflow events from about 50 a year to fewer than one a year, reducing the overflow from an average of 1.3 billion gallons to 250 million gallons annually." (ENS)
This story was also reported here by Water and Wastes Digest.


Saturday, May 16, 2009

Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel Project Stalls

TunnelTalk reports here in an April, 2009 article that funding woes have stalled the Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel project.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Upper Rouge CSO (North) Tunnel, Bids Canceled

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) has canceled plans to bid the Upper Rouge CSO (North) Tunnel (PC-763). Addendum No. 5, dated February 23, 2009, but received yesterday by plan holders, advised bidders that DWSD was not going to be taking bids on the project at this time. There was no official explanation offered by DWSD for cancellation of the North Tunnel.

Work will continue, however, on the Upper Rouge CSO (South) Tunnel (PC-764), which was awarded to Kenny/Obayashi, JV in September (reported here).

The Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel project is a requirement of the Department's NPDES Permit, and is subject the Second Amended Consent Decree in the EPA Litigation.

[Update: On March 18, 2009, McGraw Hill Dodge Reports indicated that this project was on hold until 2014. ]


Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel Design Issues Outlined in Recent Presentation

The Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) has posted a presentation made earlier this year by Mirza Rabbaig (DWSD) and Bob Barbour (Jacobs Engineering), which outlines some of the many design issues and geotechnical challenges involved in the Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel project.


As reported here and here, the South Tunnel (PC-764) was bid in April and approved in September, 2008. The North Tunnel (PC-764) is bidding on February 12, 2009, as noted here.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel (North) Bid Date Extended

The bid date for the Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel (North) (PC-763) has been extended to Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. from December 18th. This is second of half of the Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel.

The Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel (South) (PC-764) was bid on April 24, 2008, as noted here. A low bid of $316,170,200 was submitted by Kenny Construction/Obayashi, JV. The contract for the South Tunnel (PC-764), was approved by the Detroit City Council on September 25, 2008, as reported here.

For more information about the Upper Rouge CSO Tunnel project read here. For specific information about PC-763 (South Tunnel), read here.