Saturday, August 20, 2011

Sinkhole in Detroit-what happens when infrastructure is neglected

Before I summarize yesterday's Woodward Dream Cruise, I'm sharing the following that caught my eye last night.




Car into sinkhole in Detroit


The car was still stuck in the sinkhole that night.




SUV into sinkhole in Detroit


As soon as I saw those clips, I told my wife that this had to be the result of a water main break. WLNS confirmed my suspicions.

Detroit Water Main Break Causes Sink Hole
Some residents in Detroit are still without water as crews work to repair a water main break.

The break happened Thursday and it's not clear when water will be restored.
I've written before about Detroit's water system, which services at least four million people in eight counties. It's probably the most prized asset of the City of Detroit, which is why the suburbs are trying to get at least partial control of it. However, it won't be worth nearly as much if the water mains aren't maintained. When they're neglected, incidents like this happen. Now, both the water main and the street have to be replaced at great inconvenience to all involved. Regular maintenance and willingness to budget for it would go a long way to prevent sinkholes, lost water service, and blocked roads.

Besides, not only is investment in infrastructure necessary, it's sexy.




UPDATE: WXYZ added the following video yesterday in addition to the ones I posted above.




Crews are repairing a massive sinkhole that swallowed an SUV on Thursday.


It turned out that three parts of the infrastructure failed. Not only did a water main break, but the initial failure was a leak in the sewer line that caused the road to collapse. It also wasn't a complete surprise, either, as residents had been calling the city to tell them to check out the problem.

Remember what I wrote about the millage elections?
I think Inkster will be sorry they didn't fix the sewers. That's a disaster waiting to happen.
This is exactly the kind of disaster waiting for Inkster and what happens when citizens and governments choose austerity over sustainability.

4 comments:

  1. Water main? That's just a cover story.

    This is clearly a case of the race of underground Lizard People trying to expand their influence base out of Los Angeles and into the greater Detroit area.

    Google "Lizard People Los Angeles" for additional info. I present as documentation an article from Strange Maps, one of my favorite blogs.

    Secret Caves of the Lizard People
    http://bigthink.com/ideas/21496

    And in case anyone who is reading this thinks I'm ranting, I will reveal that I know for a fact that our esteemed moderator, the Motie Master, has not only personally searched for this strange race of beings under Los Angeles, but was also heavily compensated by a shadowy, corrupt organization for his efforts, presumably to keep him quiet about the project.

    From Narb's lips to your ears. Narb can be trusted.

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  2. "heavily compensated by a shadowy, corrupt organization for his efforts"

    You mean the Southern California Rapid Transit District, now the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority? They only paid me indirectly when I was working on the first leg of the Red Line. I was paid by a private contractor who was monitoring the construction for cultural and scientific artifacts and remains. I saw lots of fossils and some old bottles, even an old sewer tunnel and the Pacific Electric tracks, but no traces of Lizard Men. I probably wouldn't have anyway, as I worked several blocks south and west of where they were reported, which was just outside of Olvera Street.

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