Water and other utilities trbc

opinion Tom Petzold Published 10:00 PM EST Dec 10, 2018 Imagine a monthly utility charge suddenly increasing by a factor of 40. Incredible? Try incredulous. And, soon, such increases could become a harsh reality for Detroit businesses. In an attempt to raise greater funds for the disposal of rain and storm water runoff, the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) has concocted a poorly conceived methodology whereby drainage fees will be calculated according to property owners’ impervious surface area (put simply, a parking lot or similar area that water cannot soak into). This results in extreme inequities between businesses. Take for example Angeles Fashions on 8 Mile at Dequindre in the Belmont Shopping Center. Under the City’s methodology this 13,000-square-foot store will be responsible for $8,600 in storm water drainage charges annually once rates come into effect. As Angeles employs three individuals, the cost per employee will be in excess of $2,800. By … [Read more...] about Opinion: Detroit Water and Sewage poised to hurt business

James David Dickson The Detroit News Published 12:31 PM EDT Oct 22, 2018 Detroit — Firefighters on Detroit's east side have freed a water and sewerage department worker from a manhole he fell into Monday morning. The 62-year-old man was pulled from the manhole, which was described as “three feet by three feet, 40 feet down," at about noon, according to Gene Biondo, deputy chief of the Detroit Fire Department. Reports of the fall came in shortly after 10 a.m. and officials responded to the 17100 block of Mack, on the Grosse Pointe border.  The man who fell in was a “spotter” working near the top while two others were deeper into the hole. “Somehow he slipped” and fell in, Biondo said. The two others were able to climb out, but the spotter himself was rendered immobile by the fall. “There was no way he could come out” without being pulled, Biondo said. The rescue effort was the result of elbow grease, skill, and some … [Read more...] about Detroit Water and Sewerage Department worker freed from manhole