City of Flint April 8, 2022 Update: Control Station #2 and Secondary Water Pipeline

FLINT, MI — The Department of Public Works began facilitating 95/5 water increment combining/blending to the Genesee County Drain Commission (GCDC) secondary water pipeline on Monday, August 23, 2021. The process of combining the primary and secondary water sources was required to complete necessary repairs to the City’s primary water pipeline.

This process was made in phases over several weeks to ensure the City of Flint’s water treatment plant operators could produce stable water quality at all blend levels. The City is currently at Phase V of the incremental water blend to 100 percent for the secondary water supply.

Update:

• Construction work at Control Station #2 and upgrades to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) primary water pipeline are nearing completion. This work included the fabrication of flange adapters (pipe connectors) needed to use with the 36-inch valves.

• The move to the long-term blend of 95/5 will occur the week of April 11, 2022 and will take place in a single step. It will not be necessary to make a gradual transition because it has been shown that Flint’s water distribution system is stable at this 95/5 blend, and that water treatment plant operators have experience in successfully producing this 95/5 blend of water for several weeks before work on the GLWA pipeline began. A Standard Operating Procedure is also in place if it is necessary to change the percent blend in the future.

• Flint’s water will once again flow from the primary water pipeline connection to GLWA at 95 percent and 5 percent to the secondary water pipeline connection to GCDC. This 95/5 blend is to keep the water, pipes, valves and other hardware in the secondary pipeline fresh and ready to use in an emergency.

• It will take two to five days to return to the 95/5 blend. The process to return to GLWA as the primary supply will include flushing and water quality testing. Residents and businesses should not experience any changes to their drinking water during the change to the long-term blend.

All protocols are in adherence with the State of Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, and the City’s agreement with its primary water supplier, GLWA, will continue to be followed.

Important reminders for residents:

• Visit https://www.cityofflint.com/progressreport/ for the latest updates on Flint’s water infrastructure projects.

• Water monitoring will continue as all major infrastructure projects are completed. Monitoring results are available on the EGLE’s website at www.michigan.gov/flintwater.

• For water emergencies or issues with water service call (810) 766-7202 [water] and (810) 766-7079 [sewer]. These lines are monitored 24/7.

• For non-emergency questions or concerns, email [email protected]. This email is monitored by DPW department staff.

• Mayor Neeley will continue to provide weekly community updates on WFLT 1420 AM and via Facebook on Saturdays.

• The City of Flint will continue to provide residents with updates on water infrastructure projects as information becomes available.

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