A City of Austin water utility employee was shot in the face Sept. 22 and then robbed while he was working on a water meter, The Statesmen reports.

The 69-year-old employee was released from the hospital a few hours later after being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries. The worker “was only grazed by the bullet,” a city official said, and he required a few stitches.

The employee, a 20-year veteran of Austin Water, was removing a meter for an accuracy check at a Dairy Queen in East Austin at the time of the alleged armed robbery, around 5 a.m. The work was being performed at that time to avoid any water service disruption to nearby businesses.

Source: The Statesmen

Grand Rapids Breaks Ground on Stormwater Storage Facility
The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, held a ground-breaking ceremony Sept. 14 for the largest stormwater control project in the city’s history.

Part of the Green Grand Rapids initiative, the $1.2 million underground storage facility will hold 720,000 gallons of stormwater, which will help prevent contaminated runoff from entering the Grand River.

The City recently completed a major CSO project three years ahead of schedule and under budget.

Source: WILX

Southern California Seeks Surplus Water
The Southern Nevada Water Authority approved a $45 million deal that would allow Southern California’s largest water agency access to a major supply of water that would normally go to southern Nevada.

The board of the Metropolitan Water District, a wholesaler that supplies public utilities in Southern California, still has to vote on the deal.

Under the arrangement, the Southern California agency would be able to use 150,000 acre-feet of surplus water this year if needed, while allowing Nevada to buy it back in future years, the Southern Nevada Water Authority said in a statement on its website.

Source: Reuters