Workers laying water pipes outside of London for a Thames Water project recently found 26 ancient skeletons that utility experts believe date back to a 3,000-year-old English settlement. Archaeologists believe some of the skeletons may have been victims of human sacrifice, according to CBS News.
Neil Holbrook of Cotswold Archaeology told CBS the discovery allowed his team to examine some previously unknown sites. “The Iron Age site at Childrey Warren was particularly fascinating as it provided a glimpse into the beliefs and superstitions of people living in Oxfordshire before the Roman conquest.”
Flint to Receive $77 Million for Water Infrastructure
The city of Flint, Michigan, will get a $77.7 million loan from the state to help fix its water infrastructure, according to Michigan Radio. The money will be used to build a pipeline for a secondary water source; improve a pump station; replace water mains; and improve water quality monitoring.
“It's important to understand it’s not new funding or state funding in any way,” Rob Bincsik, Flint’s public works director, tells Michigan Radio. “The $77.7 million in funding they are referring to is part of the $100 million Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act grant we received some time ago.”
Bincsik also noted that the city’s water system needs more than $300 million more invested into it in the next 20 years.
Judge Rules Flint Residents Can Sue EPA
In other recent news related to Flint, a federal judge recently ruled the city’s residents have the right to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its role in the Flint Water Crisis.
“The impact on the health of the nearly 100,000 residents of the City of Flint remains untold,” Judge Linda Parker said, according to CNN. “It is anticipated, however, that the injury caused by the lead-contaminated public water supply system will affect the residents for years and likely generations to come.”
Water Utility and Transit Administration At Odds Over Light Rail Project
The Maryland Transit Administration is in the midst of a disagreement with the city of New Carrollton over a light rail project that is interfering with a water main.
Contractors have apparently been dumping heavy dirt onto an area above an underground 66-inch water main, and utility workers say the debris could cause the pipe to rupture.
Although MTA disagrees that the debris is an issue, the two entities are in talks about possibly relocating the waterline.
