Oakland County, Michigan (February 21, 2008)

Oakland County Drain Commissioner John P. McCulloch and the director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Victor Mercado, are slated to give a joint presentation before the Oakland County Board of Commissioner’s Planning and Building Committee at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 26, 2008.

McCulloch and Mercado are expected to provide details of both the DWSD’s master plan and Oakland County’s water and wastewater master plan while emphasizing their cooperative efforts as they look toward the future.
McCulloch said he was pleased that he and Victor (Mercado) were addressing the committee jointly.

“I’ve always appreciated Victor’s sense of cooperation and his contribution toward a spirit of cooperation,” McCulloch said. “On the operational level, I believe Mr. Mercado and I have shown that we can work well together. We may have our differences and may take different approaches, but we’re on the same page when it comes to wanting what’s best for the system and the customers who rely on it.”

Both McCulloch and Mercado are expected to emphasize partnerships in a regional approach to water and wastewater planning.

“Partnering has been underutilized,” McCulloch said. “Cooperation and communication are important elements to our success, not only in Oakland County, but throughout the metropolitan Detroit region.”

Mercado said he was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the committee members regarding the partnership established in 2003 between the DWSD and its suburban customers.

“Co-chaired by DWSD and suburban leadership, this effort speaks to a mutual sharing of rate information and the joint development of a model water service contract that is currently in negotiation with 30 of our customer communities,” Mercado said. “The ongoing partnering process, reinforced by the model contract, underscores our mutual effort to forge regional plans and solutions for water supply.”

The Planning and Building Committee meets in Committee Room A on the ground floor of the Oakland County Courthouse, 1200 North Telegraph Road, Pontiac.