House approves $3M for Fraser sinkhole fix
Lansing — The House approved Wednesday a supplemental appropriation that allots $3 million in state money to repair the Fraser sinkhole and allows $100 million to pass to Flint after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week awarded the money.
In a 101-7 vote, the House approved money for Macomb County to fix a Fraser pipe that collapsed on Christmas Eve and caused residents at nearly two dozen homes to evacuate after a massive sinkhole opened. A Macomb County official told lawmakers that a permanent solution could cost between $140 million and $150 million to coat the pipe with a protective layer that would prevent leaks for the next 200 years.
That may sound like a long time, said Macomb County Public Works Operations Manager Anthony Forlini, but not necessarily for the county’s future residents. He urged lawmakers at a Wednesday morning hearing to approve the state aid.
The latest collapse is the pipe’s third rupture, the latest likely caused by the same problem as before: Small leaks along the pipe allow water to escape and fine silt to be sucked in until it slowly clogs and collapses, Forlini said.
Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2017/03/22/house-approves-fraser-sinkhole-fix/99506168/