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South Lyon Council approves HydroCorp contract to begin residential cross-connection inspections
Summary
City council voted to waive competitive bidding and contract HydroCorp to start residential cross-connection inspections aimed at protecting the municipal water supply; the first-year cost charged to the water department was $46,332 and the program will begin after ordinance and EGLE approvals.
South Lyon — The City Council on April 28 approved hiring HydroCorp to perform residential cross-connection inspections and waived competitive bidding for the contract.
The measure, moved by Council Member Hanson and seconded by Council Member Kurzweil, passed on a roll-call vote. The city will pay $46,332 from line item 592556802 (contractual services) for the work described in the service agreement presented to council.
The cross-connection program is intended to prevent nonpotable water or contaminants from entering the city’s potable water supply. Water Department staff told council the program responds to enforcement expectations from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the state Safe Drinking Water Act (Part 14 of PA 39). City staff said South Lyon currently inspects about 244 commercial and industrial connections and has 3,699 residential accounts that will now be covered by the expanded program.
City staff described how HydroCorp would carry out the work: updating the city’s cross-connection ordinance and program materials, producing public-education materials and videos, scheduling inspections through an online portal or by phone, and performing interior surveys focused on utility rooms and exterior hose bibs. Inspectors will not enter kitchens, bathrooms, or bedrooms. The vendor will perform a minimum of 960 inspections over the two-year agreement (about 480 inspections per year), the city said.
Council members asked how violations would be handled, who would test backflow prevention devices, and who would own the collected data. Water Department staff said HydroCorp would notify the city of violations and provide the inspection data to the city; HydroCorp would retain the program platform but the city would have access to the inspection results and could purchase the platform later if needed. Mechanical testing of devices (for example, RPZ or sprinkler testers) would be arranged separately and priced to property owners, staff said.
Hanson moved to waive the city’s competitive-bidding requirement for this contract on the grounds that HydroCorp offers a turnkey program the city could not match internally; Kurzweil seconded. The waiver and the contract approval each passed on roll-call votes.
City staff cautioned the council the program is long-running: completion of a first full cycle of residential inspections could take roughly seven to eight years and the program would be ongoing thereafter. Staff said inspectors would be required to undergo background checks and that inspections generally last about 30 minutes.
The contract was approved as presented. Council did not direct additional steps beyond implementation tasks described by staff.
