Michigan makes $67 million available for water improvement projects

As part of an ongoing effort to reduce sewage overflows and to replace lead water pipes, the state of Michigan has awarded more than $67 million to projects statewide.

The MI Clean Water Plan grants will help local officials upgrade aging infrastructure, ensure residents have healthy drinking water and protect the state’s environment. Specifically, the funds will support fixing legacy issues such as aging facilities and challenges like new standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”

The city of West Branch received $18 million in state funds to replace old, undersized and failing watermains and to build a water tower. Improvements to an existing well and replacing the master meter connection are also planned. West Branch is about 150 miles north of Lansing.

In Detroit, $17.5 million in state funds will go to replacing and rehabilitating more than 30,00 linear feet of vintage cast iron water mains in the neighborhoods of Dexter-Linwood, Davison and Buffalo-Charles. Approximately 475 lead service lines will be replaced as well.

The town of White Cloud will receive $4 million to replace 420 lead and galvanized service lines. The town is about 30 miles north of Grand Rapids.

Other projects receiving federal funding include:

$10 million to the Delta Charter Township to build a parallel force main from the West Willow Lift Station, which will also receive improvements. The project will increase the West Willow Sewer District’s capacity and reliability.
$10 million to the city of Hamtramck to replace about 11,000 linear feet of water mains and 252 lead service lines in the city and another 284 lead service lines throughout the town’s distribution system.
$5 million to build about 3,500 linear feet of 60-inch sewer main in Macomb County. The sewer interceptor project will reduce combined sewer overflows into Lake St. Clair by conveying combined sewage to the Chapaton Retention Basin during wet weather events.
$2.5 million to replace 300 lead service lines with copper lines in the city of Lincoln Park.

The MI Clean Water Plan grants are available through the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which provides low-interest loans to help public water systems finance replacing and repairing drinking water infrastructure. The federal funds were made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

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