FAQFAQ   SearchSearch  MemberlistMemberlistRegisterRegister  ProfileProfile   Log in[ Log in ]  Flint Talk RSSFlint Talk RSS

»Home »Open Chat »Political Talk  Â»Flint Journal »Political Jokes »The Bob Leonard Show  

Flint Michigan online news magazine. We have lively web forums


FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk

Topic: 50 yers of water pipe line corruption

  Author    Post Post new topic Reply to topic
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Gary Flinn‎ to Terry Bankert

July 8 at 7:54am ·

.

I decided to post a piece I wrote for my planned next book as a reply to Donna Ashburn-Poplar's photo which was shared on this Facebook page. I decided to start a new thread with this piece about how the 1960s Flint water scandal eventually led to the water issues Flint is having today. Here it is.

Let’s go back to the mid-1950s. The Flint area was still growing and the auto plants were humming. Flint was getting its water from the Flint River. The river water was treated at the Flint Water Plant on North Dort Highway at Stewart Avenue.

There was concern at that time that water from the river may not be sufficient in the future to meet the needs of the Flint metropolitan area. On December 13, 1955, the Boston based firm Metcalf & Eddy Engineers released their Report to City Manager, City of Flint, Michigan Upon Adequacy of Existing Water Supply. In a nutshell, the report recommended that the city find a better source of water to meet future needs. Another report issued in 1963 by the United States Geological Survey mentioned that the city was planning a pipeline from Lake Huron to Flint to provide a more reliable source for water.

A confidential land agent for the city, Claude O. Darby Sr., had recommended the purchase of three acres of land along Lake Huron in Sanilac County’s Worth Township for $75,000 on January 9, 1962. The land was intended for use as a pumping station for the proposed water pipeline. A scandal broke when it revealed that three months earlier, Darby, through his private real estate company, had purchased the same property from businessman Samuel Catsman, who owned local construction supplier Catsman-Atlas Building Products and Catsman Realty, for $42,000 on October 2, 1961 through a Port Huron real estate agent before Darby became the city’s land agent on October 25. The city later accepted $33,000 from Darby plus his agent’s fee of $1,650 after the irregularity was revealed the previous year. Darby also surrendered his real estate broker’s license and resigned as president of the Darby & Son real estate firm.

Darby’s trial on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses was moved by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Stewart Newblatt on November, 1963 from Flint to Niles with the trial date set for December 17. On December 6, a one man grand jury consisting of Circuit Court Judge Donn D. Parker launched an investigation into the land deal. On that day, Parker granted Darby immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony against Catsman. That led to the dismissal of charges against Darby by Judge Newblatt on December 13.

On December 31, 1963, Catsman was indicted on charges of obtaining $33,000 under false pretenses from the city of Flint. The chronology of events revealed that day indicted on January 5, 1962, Darby notified then city manager Robert A. Carter, who was also charged, in a letter that Darby received an option on the real estate along Lake Huron which Catsman allegedly had knowledge. On October 2, Darby, at the request of Catsman, purchased the property in the name of Phillip T.Smith “for the ownership, benefit and gain” of Catsman.

With the trial for Catsman and former city manager Carter set for December, the Flint City Commission on April 22, 1964 voted to scrap plans for the water line from Port Huron to Flint and instead join the Detroit Water System. The vote was 7 to 2.

The trial of Catsman and Carter would be heard by visiting Port Huron Circuit Judge Edward T. Kane who rejected a change in venue motion to move the trial to Port Huron. While Catsman waived a jury, a jury was chosen for Carter. The trial began on December 3. The state rested its case on December 10. On December 11, Judge Kane dismissed the case, clearing Catsman and Carter of charges, declaring that the entire conspiracy matter was the result of “greed” on the part of Darby which destroyed Darby’s career as a real estate agent.

On December 15, 1967, Detroit water began flowing into Flint. Detroit had built a pipeline from Troy to Imlay City and another pipeline from Imlay City to Flint. Detroit had already made plans for a pipeline from Lake Huron to Imlay City. In 1974, Detroit’s Lake Huron Water Treatment plant became operational. In 1976, the Michigan Department of Public Health detemined that Flint’s water supply was unreliable as there was no backup source for water, so it pressed the city and the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to develop a backup source. Detroit proposed a new line along I-75 to provide one in 1981 but it was never built due to funding and line size disputes. In 1990, Flint made improvements to its water treatment plant to provide a backup source.

As the years passed by, rate increases by Detroit had made Flint water unusually expensive. For decades, officials have complained of high costs for the water and a price formula that penalizes this area because of its distance from Detroit and its elevation. That led to plans for a rival water pipeline from Lake Huron to commence in 2007. That led in 2010 to the formation of the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) consisting of the city of Flint, Genesee County, the city of Lapeer, Lapeer County and Sanilac County.

The KWA proposed building a pipeline from Lake Huron to Flint with participating local governments along the route sharing the cost. Unlike the Detroit pipeline which provides treated water, the KWA pipeline would provide untreated water which would then be treated by the local water departments. The pipeline route closely follows the planned route of the scrapped 1960s pipeline. Unlike the scrapped pipeline, the new pipeline would follow existing public rights of way and easements keeping the purchase of required real estate to an absolute minimum. The water intake location (in Sanilac County’s Worth Township, the same area where the 1960s scandal plagued land was located) was already acquired in 2002 by the Genesee County Board of Commissions in a public auction of land sold by Detroit Edison.

To aid in the constuction of the pipeline which began in 2013, American SpiralWeld built a pipeline factory to provide pipes for the new water line in 2014 on a portion of the old Buick City factory complex site. It is planned to be completed by the summer of 2016.

But in the meantime, increasing costs for Detroit water coupled with the city of Flint’s financial problems led Flint’s emergency city manager to order Flint to disconnect from the Detroit water system in April 2014. Until Flint connects with the new KWA pipeline, Flint would be getting its water from the Flint River. But organic material in the river water combined with aging water pipes in some Flint neighborhoods led to complaints by some Flint residents who were still paying for high-priced water. The excess amount of chlorine in the water caused the General Motors Flint Engine Plant to switch back to Detroit water until the KWA pipeline goes on line. Major upgrades were made to the Flint Water Plant to treat the river water. A short term fix to satisfy complaints about organic material mixing with chlorine to create undesirable TTHM is to add a charcoal filtration system to remove organic material. That filtration system may not be needed once the KWA pipeline from Lake Huron is operational.
So it is wasn’t for the scandal in the 1960s, Flint would have had its own source of Lake Huron drinking water a half century before and we would not have the water problems Flint residents had to endure in 2015.


Gary Flinn Here is a news story regarding that scandal. http://www.mlive.com/.../ghosts_of_corruption_still_lin.html


50 years later: Ghosts of corruption still linger along old path of failed Flint water...
Post Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:17 am 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
00SL2
F L I N T O I D

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/11/ghosts_of_corruption_still_lin.html

50 years later: Ghosts of corruption still linger along old path of failed Flint water pipeline

Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on November 12, 2012 at 7:00 AM, updated November 12, 2012 at 7:03 AM
Post Sat Jul 11, 2015 3:58 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
untanglingwebs
El Supremo

This issue fits nicely into today's water crisis.
Post Thu May 26, 2016 11:57 am 
 View user's profile Send private message  Reply with quote  
  Display posts from previous:      
Post new topic Reply to topic

Jump to:  


Last Topic | Next Topic  >

Forum Rules:
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 

Flint Michigan online news magazine. We have lively web forums

Website Copyright © 2010 Flint Talk.com
Contact Webmaster - FlintTalk.com >