Cheboygan Main Street: What's in your line?
How often do you really get to see where your tax and utility dollars go? Thanks to the recent Earth Day Plus activities, we had the opportunity to tour our own Cheboygan Water Treatment Plant. It was a drizzly cool day but for the dozen or so of us that participated it was a real eye-opener.
When you think about developing nations, the one necessity in their life is clean water, free of contamination from human or other waste. How long can an individual survive without water? The answer is three to five days. Go over to your sink and turn on the tap. What if nothing came out? Not just for a day, but for weeks? We are truly fortunate in Cheboygan to have some of the cleanest drinking water coming from our wells. It is so easy to take for granted this very precious resource; and it’s amazing that a typical household will pay more for internet than water. Fun fact: If your power goes out, you will still have water, thanks to our water towers.
Seeing firsthand the wastewater treatment plant operation, processes, and equipment, gives you a sense of the very important role the staff provides in providing this amazing resource. What I didn’t realize is the many other tasks and projects that fall into their responsibilities as well. Here is not a complete list, but a lengthy list of responsibilities for the DPW, Department of Public Works! Fixing broken and plugged city sewer lines, snow plowing, salting and sanding the roads, cutting grass, cleaning streets and sidewalks, asphalt repairs on roads, creating and installing signs, repairing all vehicles and equipment, repairs and maintenance of the plant, moving barricades for city functions and other general assistance, working with the city commissions and committees to advise on projects, and the list goes on.
So, what can we do to help keep our systems up and running? No flushable wipes, feminine hygiene products, or cigarette butts in the toilet please. You ask how that can be, it says flushable on the box! This is a huge issue; flushable wipes do not break down quickly like toilet paper and they may not disintegrate in a timely matter. An internet search will provide numerous articles regarding the real cost of flushing anything besides toilet paper. The cost for the home or business owner can be from hundreds to thousands of dollars. In the wastewater department, it means more equipment clogs and the unplanned labor to fix it. Additional culprits are pharmaceuticals of any kind and over the counter medications.
After the tour we walked away with a feeling of confidence that our Water Department is doing an excellent job with what they currently have. Thanks to their foresight and planning the future is bright with a new treatment facility coming online this year, and the addition of a second water tower. Understanding our city and its operations is invaluable. Thank you, Jason Karmol for volunteering your time to provide insight into this important department of our great city.
— Kristen Baggott and her husband joined Cheboygan retirement life in 2018. She has not retired from volunteering, though, and has met many new friends throughout the community — all working to make Cheboygan an even better place to live.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan Main Street: What's in your line?
