Utility work underway near the Jacobs Drain

A number of heavy trucks rolled into Kimberley North yesterday. Some of the vehicles were carrying huge blue tanks of some type and other heavy industrial-looking equipment. They parked their vehicles and equipment within the Jacobs Drain area and put up a sign saying, “Road Closed”. Their purpose was a mystery, but it appeared that something big was about to happen.

The Jacobs Drain is a detention pond that holds back storm water to prevent flooding of streets and basements. The Pond area is adjacent to a Consumers Energy transmission facility. A controlled burn in the area took place months ago to keep invasive plant species in check. The pond is a natural beauty area that many like to walk around to relax and enjoy nature. Residents are very protective of the area and want to preserve it.

Contacts were made with the Township, but they were apparently uninformed about this just like the rest of us. We later found out from some of the workers on the site that they were there on behalf of Consumers Energy to do maintenance or repair work. According to Township Supervisor Steve Kaplan, as a public utility, Consumers Energy is not obligated to provide notice to, or get approval from, municipalities for maintenance/repair efforts unless they involve the right of ways.

A neighbor who lives near the site was told by two workers that the utility is shutting down a pipeline and that any gas remaining in the pipeline will be pumped out before the pipes are filled with concrete to prevent any collapsing. Residents have been told in the past that the pipelines in and around the drain were no longer in use.

We are hoping to get more information about the work being done and the impact on residents and wildlife in the area. Residents also want to know how long this project will take and what efforts will be made to restore the area to its previous natural beauty.

We will update this post if and when we get more clarification or changes.