‘Massive’ flooding could occur if standpipe blows

An article by Angela Niemi    3 Comments

Lake Neva is in need of a new standpipe for its dam — and quickly.

According to the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the standpipe will not last another freeze-thaw cycle during the upcoming winter, as its corrosion has led to a state of disrepair.

The standpipe sits in the water and allows water to pass underneath Biscayne Road, which is where the lake is situated off of Bogie Lake Road in White Lake Township.

If the standpipe were to break, the consequences could be a major public health and safety issue, according to township and county officials.

“The water has the capability of flooding out massive areas of White Lake, including getting into the Huron Valley water system and possibly all the way to Ann Arbor. If it broke, it has the potential to cause damage in the multi-millions (of dollars),” said Township Supervisor Greg Baroni.

Oakland County Commissioner Jim Runestad (R-Waterford, White Lake) said that if the dilapidated standpipe fails, the damage could total around $20 million.

“It will be a catastrophe if this happens,” he said.

Given the potentially dire consequences, the township has worked with the Lakewood Village Improvement Association — which owns the standpipe — to establish a special assessment district (SAD) to cover the cost of a replacement project.

Meanwhile, Oakland County has agreed to finance the $150,000 originally required for the project.

However, the money necessary for the project has since increased to approximately $250,000.

A major reason for this is because the initial engineering estimate for the project — which was approximately $87,000 — was significantly lower than what contractors bid on the project.

Of the four contractors that the project was sent to for bids, only one bid came back and that was for $187,000.

After factoring in administrative, legal, and other costs, the project would then become around $250,000, according to Baroni.

Officials were unsure of the reason for the discrepancy between the initial estimate and the incoming bids. However, it may have to do with the risk involved in the project.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the risk factor of the project. One of the things one of the contractors asked for was a $20 million bond if something went wrong and flooding occurred,” said White Lake Trustee Todd Birkle.

The increase in cost also raised questions at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22, during which commissioners didn’t approve an increase in funding for the project.

While this was disheartening to the township, Runestad and White Lake officials are still hoping to to get the additional funding through the county as it is the most expedient and efficient way to obtain the money necessary to complete the project before the winter.

“We’re working with the board members as well as the Oakland County committee to come up with a resolution to come up with all the money,” Baroni said.

Runestad plans to submit a funding request to the county board’s Finance Committee today, Wednesday, Sept. 28. If it’s approved there, then it will again come before the county board sometime in early October.