Water System Advisory Council (WSAC)

City of Battle Creek Water System Advisory Council April 27, 2021 12:00pm **ZOOM** Members Present: Carl Fedders, Perry Hart, Mark Behnke, Kathy Antaya, Chris Lussier Staff Present: Sarah McGinnis, Sarah VanWormer (IT), Jessica Vanderkolk Call to order: Carl Fedders, Chairperson 12:01pm Approval of agenda: Kathy Antaya motioned to approve the agenda, Perry Hart seconded. Motion passed. Approval of minutes from 5/27/2020: Mark Behnke motioned to approve the minutes, Kathy Antaya seconded. Motion passed. Inventory update: Perry Hart provided an update on the current lead service communications with the community. Mr. Hart detailed improvements in lead service lines. Mr. Hart stated the inventory of distribution materials including public and private services is completed and are about to start physical verifications. Mr. Lussier stated the City has received a 3.4 million grant for lead paint replacement and it includes awareness about lead issues. We should collaborate on this marketing. Mr. Fedders stated we have been completing inspections for a year without much direction from EGLE. This update has been provided in the last two weeks. We will update our vac and verify process to follow the provided guidelines. Looking to replace 200-250 services each year. Lead service line definition: Carl Fedders defined a lead service or a partial lead service or galvanized service as a pipe made of lead used in water distribution that connects to a water main. We know there is galvanized pipes in the system. If we find that, we are treating it like lead. It protects the customer and us. Council comments: Kathy Antaya stated this system is very complex. Does the city have to create our own data storage? Mr. Hart stated we use Cityworks (Assett Management System) Software. Employees in the field have all the tools that they need, right in their hands. Ms. Antaya asked what a tap slip is. Mr. Hart stated tap slips are any work completed between a water main and curb stop, for each parcel. Crew completes tap slips in the field. Ms. Antaya stated the letters to the community were great, but surprised they are not being well received. Can we use some grant dollars to hire associations to help us communicate with parts of the community that will not allow us access to complete this project? Mr. Fedders stated we would need to be creative in getting residents to understand this is a needed repair. We have found that once we start working in their area, neighbors tend to come out and speak with us. That allows us to reach the residents that have not responded to the letter request. Public Comments: NONE Adjournment:. 12:33PM 1