Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Gogebic County — A meeting of the minds on Tuesday resulted in the unprecedented decision to facilitate the temporary transfer of water from the city of Bessemer to surrounding communities that have been under a water boil advisory for more than a week.
The city of Wakefield traditionally supplies water — via the Gogebic Range Water Authority — to Wakefield city and township, Bessemer Township and Ironwood Township.
However, on April 26, Wakefield city officials began issuing regular advisories for GRWA water system users to boil water due to the presence of E. coli in the water source.
Over the next several days, the city of Bessemer now plans — in a step-by-step process — to take over the role of supplying clean water.
Wakefield and Bessemer city officials reported the news to The Globe on Tuesday evening.
“Clearly, health and safety is paramount,” said Wakefield City Manager Robert Brown Jr. by phone.
He emphasized that the change is not simple, adding that “there’s a lot of cogs in that wheel.”
Hence, he said “a lot of logistics” and “a lot of chemistry” will be part of the process.
For one thing, he said, different water systems invariably have different chemistries that could have an effect on water lines, so officials will monitor the composition of the water both before and after the transition.
Since the middle of last week, Brown had been posting regular updates of Wakefield’s water quality on the city’s Facebook site.
“We apologize for the inconvenience the Water Boil Advisory is having on our community and impacted townships of the Gogebic Range Water Authority,” said the city’s Monday post. “With the guidance of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, we are diligently working on actions that will restore the water quality and remove the Water Boil Advisory.”
By late Tuesday evening, Brown had issued a press release regarding results of the city’s latest water test.
“The samples were collected from the city’s source water sampling point and two locations within the city’s distribution system,” said the press release. “The source water sampling point is where the raw water from the aquifer enters our water system before the addition of chlorine and fluoride.”
The report continues, “Sample testing yielded three negative results from distribution sites and one source water sampling point. The remaining source water sampling point tested positive for E. coli. Therefore, the water boil advisory remains in effect.”
According to the press release, Tuesday’s meeting hosted by Wakefield officials included representatives from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, C2AE, U.P. Engineers and Architects, the city of Bessemer, Bessemer Township, Wakefield Township, Ironwood Township, and the Gogebic Range Water Authority.
The release says, as of Wednesday, “The city of Bessemer will take the unprecedented action of temporarily applying drinking water to the Gogebic Range Water Authority and, ultimately, the city of Wakefield.”
It concludes, “The process is complex and requires multiple valves to be exercised in coordination. The transition will be completed in three stages. The first stage will transfer Ironwood Township and the western portion of Bessemer Township. The second stage will include the remaining parts of Bessemer Township and a portion of Wakefield Township. The last stage encompasses the remaining portion of Wakefield Township and the city of Wakefield.”
At Bessemer City Hall on Tuesday evening, City Manager Jennifer Adams told The Globe she had been in meetings throughout the day to effect the switch in water sources.
Before any water transfers, she noted that water lines will need to be flushed.
According to Bessemer’s master plan, which was adopted on Sept. 14, 2021, the city “has provided safe, quality water to the residents since the late 1800s.”
As explained in the plan, the city’s main reservoir — called the Rock Bluff Reservoir — was carved into one of the city’s bluffs in the 1930s and holds 1 million gallons. The Tilden tank holds about 60,000 gallons.
Brown said that he expects the use of Bessemer’s water to be temporary.
“We test daily,” he assured of Wakefield’s water, adding that officials are working to resolve the current contamination.
“As soon as we have our wells testing negative and we’re confident the problem isn’t going to reoccur, then we’ll pretty much reverse the process,” said Brown of his expectation to switch to using Bessemer water, but then, ultimately, to return to using Wakefield’s water.
Residents should continue to monitor the city of Wakefield’s Facebook page for updates in the transfer of water sourcing. The site also includes water boiling directions.
