Detroit could get some local competition when it comes to selling water.
The Oxford Village Council last week voted 5-0 to contact the Village of Lake Orion and find out if there’s any interest in that community purchasing water from its neighbor to the north.
‘Currently, we have nobody that’s expressed interest in purchasing water from us,? said village President Chris Bishop.
Selling water could be a way for Oxford to finance either the updating and expansion of its existing water treatment plant on S. Glaspie St. or construction of a entirely new facility, which could cost anywhere from $2 million to $4 million depending on the plant’s size, according to Manager Joe Young.
‘If we’re going to spend money on our water plant . . . . we could offset some of that cost to our taxpayers and get more people on board (our system),? said Councilman Tom Benner. ‘I think it’s a good idea myself.?
The village’s water treatment plant is more than 30 years old. Its filters and softeners need to be rehabilitated due to age.
Village officials are considering either expanding the plant or building a new one in order to be able to treat more water than is currently possible.
‘We can pump almost 4,000 gallons a minute with the three wells we have right now,? said Water Plant Superintendent Jim Smith. ‘But the limiting factor is the water plant. We can only (treat) a 1,000 (gallons per minute).?
‘Right now, they’re (the wells) all in rotation,? he explained. ‘Only one can run at one time because that’s all we can handle.?
The village got a 1,250 gallons per minute boost in capacity when a new well went on-line at the end of August.
However, Smith indicated if the horsepower of the motor operating the new well’s pump were increased ‘we could probably do 3,000 gallons a minute on that well.?
Given all the system’s current capacity and potential for more coupled with the need for replacement equipment and possibly an expanded or new plant, the village decided to approach Lake Orion about the prospect of selling its water to the community.
Lake Orion is currently supplied by Detroit water (via Orion Township) for which users pay a base charge of $37 every three months (regardless of whether any water is used), then $2.60 for every 100 cubic feet (or 748 gallons) of water actually used.
Oxford Village charges its water customers a minimum of $17.20 per month, which includes the first 2,000 gallons, and $3.25 for every 1,000 gallons used after that.
‘I think it’s a fabulous idea,? said Councilwoman Teri Stiles, of the idea of supplying water to Lake Orion.
But before the project ‘gets off the ground,? Stiles said she would like to see if the village’s environmental consultant ‘might be able to project where we might be drawing (water) from.?
Stiles has a ‘really big concern? over the possibility of lakes and ponds being drained.
Benner said right now all the village is doing is approaching Lake Orion to ‘see if there’s some interest there.?
Given all the details that would have to be worked out in order to make a venture of this magnitude this happen, Benner said, ‘This is something that would take some time to get off the ground.?