On Water tower debate scratches surface of Janesville’s water system
Posted on August 25 at 12:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
“Everyone always viewed water as an unlimited supply, and it isn’t,” Lynch said. “Essentially, there’s the same amount of water on the Earth as there was 4 billion years ago.”
Mr. Lynch - I am curious, how do you know how much water was on the earth 4 billion years ago? Were you there???
Obviously the problem is not the AMOUNT of water on the earth, there is more than enough water. The problem lies in the location and condition of the water. Cheap, clean, easily accessible water is getting harder to come by. Janesville has a superb water utility and very reasonable water rates. Whereas it may not be prudent to construct a NE tower at this time, for the water utility to do anything less than urge the City to recognize the need for it and plan and save toward it would be irresponsible. Well done Water Utility! PS - if we can't afford the tower lets also hold off on paying for consultants to study the aquifers for which there is no reason to believe they have a serious problem. Don't our tax dollars pay the DNR or USGS/WGNHS to "study" such things already?
On City installing new manhole covers
Posted on June 23 at 3:30 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Nero is correct - they do wear out. They also replace older castings with newer "watertight" ones in order to reduce the amount of "clean" rainwater and groundwater getting to the wastewater treatment plant via inflow and infiltration. Some older castings have holes in the lids to allow for picks to open them. a few holes in a lid in low areas can allow a lot of water in. Castings and manholes are also now constructed with an external seal to prevent water inflow. Sometimes you will see manhole lids getting "blown off" of manholes by water pressure from inside - usually under flooding conditions. Castings with bolt down lids can be purchased to prevent/minimize this in low areas floodplains, etc. It was unique in Cedar Rapids Iowa they had water levels 12 to 13 feet above the highest ever recorded - in Janesville the Rock River got got only about 5" higher than the previous record elevation.
On City installing new manhole covers
Posted on June 23 at 2:12 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The city does have a GIS (Geographic Information System) - I am sure they have at least begun to map the utilities in it. To locate the manholes in the field they need a GPS (Global Positioning System) - these are cheap if you only need to get relatively close (within a couple feet - like a manhole or a fishing spot) and more expensive for extreme accuracy (to a fraction of an inch like surveying accuracy). Each manhole would have coordinates for locating it. I would expect a city the size of Janesville to probably have and use both. I do hope they bought the castings from Neenah Foundry - it would be a shame to go out of state to purchase them. I hope i did not sound too bitter - i do think the custom castings are a good idea. I am just hoping Janesville does not have an identity crisis over losing GM - it is a great place to live that is why I CHOOSE to live here and I think Steve Scheiffer has been a great City Manager - those will be hard shoes to fill.
On City installing new manhole covers
Posted on June 23 at 12:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
It will be even funnier when we hire a new city manager who will hire a million dollar consultant to tell the city they need a new image and a new logo and we will then have to buy not only new letterhead but new manhole covers too. Honestly, i think it is a very good idea and i am thankful we have public works employees who can read what is cast in to these lids. But i do think each lid should also have the "label" cast in Spanish and Braille and we should light every manhole and construct ADA accessible sidewalk to every manhole so City employees and Contractors with physical or mental or lingual challenges don't get confused or cross connect the systems - i'd hate for sanitary sewerage to ever get in to the delicate Rock River ecosystem - oops too late - I hope we don't have to pay fines for discharging sewerage during the flood.
On Rock River crest lower than predicted
Posted on June 17 at 10:20 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Real time river gage and NWS predictions are available online for anyone to see at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph...
or do a search on USGS real time water data
Page 1 of 1
On Two teens arrested in Milton Township fatal overdose
Posted on March 4 at 12:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
the 2nd boy that OD'd WAS one of the 2 arrested