A $2 million water grant, the largest in a recent round of statewide funding, will help East Lansing and Meridian Township upgrade a water main and change filtration .
The grant to the East Lansing – Meridian Water and Sewer Authority will go towards a $9.1 million project that includes an upgrade to the water main on Okemos Road between Haslett and Lake Lansing roads and the transformation from the lagoon system of the water system into a closed filtration system.
Construction of the water main is expected to begin in October.
The filtration backwash now goes into an open lagoon. The project will make it a closed filtration system and eliminate the risk of surface water contamination, said Clyde Dugan, director of the authority.
While potential contamination is now brought under control with treatments, the closed filtration system will mean less regulatory work for the system and is better for the environment, he said.
Customers won’t really notice the changes, Dugan said, adding there shouldn’t be any taste differences.
The filtration change should be completed by June 2023 and the aqueduct could be done by the end of the year, he said.
Another $403,000 grant was awarded to the Town of Owosso to replace a water main along Center Street and to rehabilitate a riser and elevated storage tower.
The two projects were among the last five to receive grants under the Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants, which are part of the Clean Water Act.
Drinking water infrastructure grants are part of larger projects funded by the state’s Revolving Fund. Grants pay about 30% of projects, and the rest can be financed by low-interest state loans.
More than 100 projects statewide applied for a grant and the latest round of grants was the last of 28 projects to receive funding totaling about $35 million, according to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Water. Michigan Energy.
Other water grants announced this week:
- City of Ann Arbor: $1.4 million to replace a 1949 pumphouse
- Village of Shelby: $621,000 for projects
- Benton Charter Township: $690,000 to eliminate or reduce contaminants
- City of Romulus: $456,000 to update processes and resolve issues, including lead lines
The grants for most of the projects come from $1.9 billion that was part of the larger Building Michigan Together plan. Previously, the fund had spent $341 million to replace lead pipes, $40 million for contaminants and $20 million for better water management, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office.
Mike Ellis lives in the Greater Lansing area. He is originally from Michigan, having recently returned to the state after 14 years as a journalist in South Carolina. Let him know what he missed, he’ll be happy to buy you a coffee because he’s always on the lookout for the next story people need to read. Please send your advice or comments to [email protected]