Miami Beach’s New Flood Defenses; Flint’s ‘Massive’ Water Thefts
An aerial view of Miami Beach, Florida. Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com
Also in our State & Local news roundup: Kansas has cost-effective highways; California trees at risk.
Our daily State & Local roundup of state and local government news from around the nation …
MIAMI BEACH, Florida: Higher-than-normal tides that can swamp parts of low-lying Miami Beach typically arrive around Oct. 9. But the city, according to The Miami Herald’s Joey Flechas, is working to get five pumping station up and running before the so-called “king tides” flood vulnerable areas of the city. It’s part of the city’s $300 million plan that will deploy 60 pumping stations around the city. “We’re going to make sure our streets are dry,” Mayor Philip Levine said, according to the Herald.
FLINT, Michigan: Police, prosecutors and water officials in Michigan’s seventh-largest city are investigating about 50 cases of water theft. The problem has been described as “massive” and there are likely additional cases that will be prosecuted, Molly Young reports for The Flint Journal. “We know that there are numerous individuals out there that think they can steal from their neighbors, their city, whoever it may be," special investigator Marcus Mahan said Wednesday. "That is not the case. We are going to prosecute you, and we're going to prosecute you to the fullest."
TOPEKA, Kansas: According to a new study from the libertarian Reason Foundation, Kansas highways have been ranked as the fifth-most cost-effective in the nation. The report found that highways in Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota as the most cost-effective, Rick Dean of the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. Highways in New Jersey, Alaska and Hawaii were ranked as the least cost-effective.
BALTIMORE, Maryland: In the city of Baltimore, pictured above, the administration of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has urged residents to buy water-pipe insurance as the city’s Department of Public Works starts to install electronic water meters in homes. Across the city limits, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is warning of potential insurance scams and says that “additional insurance is not necessary,” according to Danielle Sweeney and Mark Reutter of Baltimore Brew, who detail problems with the private warranty provider the city has endorsed.
SACRAMENTO, California: With the Golden State still dealing with extreme drought conditions, state agencies have been finding ways to cut their water usage at the direction of Gov. Jerry Brown. But conserving water could result in killing trees, as Jon Ortiz of The Sacramento Bee reports. CalTrans officials “approved new irrigation systems that arborists say are threatening the lives of mature trees on thousands of acres near California freeways, offramps and rest areas.”
(Top image, of Miami Beach, via Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com; second image, of Baltimore, by Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com)