A large water main break in Milwaukee recently caused road closures and flooded nearby homes, according to the city’s public works director, Brian DeNeve.
He tells MSN that the 48-inch main broke just south of Interstate 94.
News 3 Now’s Rose Schmidt posted a series of videos on Twitter documenting the main break as area residents struggled to move cars and protect their homes:
It looks like the water main break originated on Hawley Road near I-94. The water is rushing really fast and it is impacting homes near Dixon Street in West Allis. @CBS58 pic.twitter.com/Iq1WCJHF7s
— Rose Schmidt (@RoseSchmidtTV) December 28, 2019
USDA to Invest $635 Million in Water/Wastewater Handling Services for Rural Communities
U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald LaVoy recently announced that the department is investing $635 million in 122 projects to improve water systems and wastewater handling services in rural communities in 42 states. USDA is funding the projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.
“These investments will bring reliable infrastructure to rural communities. They will replace old, fragile, leaking water pipes with new ones and allow upgrades to water handling systems that are decades old, boosting water pressure and cutting water losses,” LaVoy says.
Oregon Senators Introduce Bill To Improve Water Quality for Tribes
In other news, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon recently introduced legislation to improve water quality and services for tribal communities in their home state.
Native American tribes in Oregon and across the west are suffering from inadequate water infrastructure, with aging drinking water treatment and distribution systems subjecting these communities to serious problems such as failed pressure relief valves, burst pipes and unsafe drinking water. Wyden and Merkley’s Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act aims to help move these communities out of the cycle of temporary and emergency fixes to those problems by ensuring stable and reliable federal investments in water infrastructure projects.
“Access to clean and safe drinking water is a basic human right, and yet, federal resources to help tribal governments in Oregon to fix damaged water systems are woefully lacking,” Wyden says. “The federal government must step up and do more to support these communities working to make permanent fixes and ensure water security needed for their long-term health and quality of life.”
