News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Water Production Plant, Operations and Maintenance Technician Richie Kroll conducts a turbidity test at the plant Monday. Recently the tests have shown an elevated amount of turbidity due to the water intake pipe being 50% to 75% plug from debris. A project to clean it will begin in August.

The Alpena Municipal Council voted 3-0 to spend $274,260 to have one of the intake pipes at the water production plant cleaned because of extreme buildup in it.

In order to pay for the project, several other water sewer projects will be pushed back until next year.

An inspection of the line in June showed that the pipe, which intakes water from Thunder Bay to the plant for treatment, is 50% to 75% filled with sand and debris. The debris is causing elevated turbidity of the water coming into the plant, as well as freezing issues during the winter.

The clogging was so expensive that divers conducting the review could not send their ROV into the pipe to evaluate its condition.

Water Production Plant Supervisor Mike Collins said it is critical to get the line cleaned because if it were to get completely clogged, and restrict the flow of water to the plant, there would likely be demand issues to the entire system.

“If there is a clog we are going to be scrambling to get water into the plant, Collins said. “We have our reserves, but that isn’t going to last. I’m telling you if we get clogged it will be a mess and we will be scrambling.”

According to engineer Rich Sullenger the pipe is 100 years old and hasn’t been cleaned out since the 1970s. He said the city has considered extending it further into Lake Huron into deeper water would likely reduce the amount of debris, but the cost to do so could cost as much $7 million to $34 million, depending on how much the pipe is extended.

Sullenger said cleaning the pipe is the better option for now.

According to Sullinger, an improvement project slated for this fiscal year for Barry Street, from State Street to Clinton will be delayed until next fiscal year. He said pushing the project back will not have an impact on residents in that area and would free up $200,000 to be used for the intake project.

An additional $100,000 can be used by delaying the replacement of filter effluent valves at the water production plant. Sullenger said delaying the project until next year may work better if it is done in conjunction with the clear water well replacement project if that moves forward.

Once the work is done, Sullenger said there could be significant cost savings in the years ahead. He cited work done to a plant in Wisconsin who had the same repair done and is now saving money.

“Two Rivers, Wisconsin has reduced turbidity coming into the plant, they were able to lengthen the time between backwashing of the filters, and a significant decrease in solids discharged to the wastewater plant,” he said. “They also saw over a 50% reduction in chemical costs and supplies due to having a clean intake and improved source water.

Sullenger said because of the problems of freeze-ups in the pipe, it is best to get the work underway as soon as possible. He said work could begin as soon as early August,

“This project has been elevated to a high critical nature based on the findings from the inspection,” Sullenger said. ” The benefits to the raw water coming into the plant and the potential avoidance or winter freezing justifies doing this work as soon as possible.”

Mayor Matt Waligora, councilwoman Amber Hess and councilman Danny Mitchell voted for the motion for the project.

Council Mike Nowak and Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Johnson were absent.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.