The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced $67.1 million in MI Clean Water grants to help communities upgrade water infrastructure, protect health, and the environment. The grants are available through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and support from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. They aim to help communities upgrade aging infrastructure, ensure healthy drinking water, and protect the environment.
Seventy percent of residents are served by more than 1,000 community wastewater systems and a similar percentage get drinking water from community water systems. Those systems often struggle to find resources to address legacy issues like aging drinking water and stormwater facilities and emerging challenges like new standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals.”
Recent grants through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund:
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- City of West Branch for $18,000,000: This project includes the replacement of old, undersized, and failing watermains, watermain looping, construction of a new water tower, improvements to an existing well, and the replacement of a master meter connection in the City of West Branch.
- Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for $17,510,000: This project includes replacing and rehabilitating approximately 31,912 linear feet of vintage cast iron water main of pipe size 6-inches through 12-inches in diameter in the City of Detroit. Neighborhoods included in this project are Dexter-Linwood, Davison, and Buffalo-Charles. Approximately 475 lead service lines will be replaced as a part of the project.
- City of White Cloud for $4,065,000: This project includes the verification of approximately 200 service line materials and the removal and replacement of an estimated 420 lead and galvanized service lines throughout the City of White Cloud.
Earmarks through Federal American Rescue Plan Act:
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- City of Lincoln Park for $2,500,000: This project involves the replacement of approximately 300 lead water service lines in the City of Lincoln Park. All lead service lines will be replaced with copper.
- Delta Charter Township for $10,000,000. This project will construct a parallel force main from the West Willow Lift Station in the West Willow Sewer district in Delta Charter Township. Additionally, the project will include improvements to the West Willow Lift Station to accommodate the additional force main. The project will increase capacity in the sewer district and provide needed reliability.
- City of Hamtramck for $10,000,000: This project involves watermain and lead service line replacement in the City of Hamtramck. A total of 10,825 linear feet of watermain will be replaced in Hamtramck including 252 lead service lines. Additionally, approximately 284 lead service lines will be replaced throughout Hamtramck’s distribution system.
- Macomb County for $5,000,000: This grant will be specifically used for the construction of approximately 3,571 linear feet of 60-inch sewer main. This sewer interceptor project will reduce combined sewer overflows into Lake St. Clair by conveying combined sewage to the Chapaton Retention Basin for additional system storage during wet weather events. This will also reduce combined sewer overflows from the Chapaton and Martin Retention Treatment Basins into Lake St. Clair.
