Governor Gretchen Whitmer awarded more than $7.3 million in newly announced grants issued under the MI Clean Water Plan that will help 15 Michigan communities better ensure clean and reliable drinking water for residents.
“Every Michigander in every community deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Governor Whitmer. “Today’s grants will help 15 communities upgrade their water infrastructure, replace lead service lines, and tackle PFAS and other toxic contaminants. Since I took office, Michigan has invested more in our water infrastructure than the previous eight years. Thanks to bipartisan investments in water infrastructure through the MI Clean Water Plan, we have created jobs, protected public health, and lowered costs for Michigan families. We will keep getting things done on the kitchen-table issues and ensuring working families have access to clean water.”
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) awarded Drinking Water Asset Management (DWAM) grants to the following communities:
City of Ishpeming $663,000 for water system enhancement through Distribution System Materials Inventory development and Asset Management Plan updates.
“The City of Ishpeming currently estimates that there is $15 million in lead service line replacement required throughout our city,” said Ishpeming City Manager Craig H. Cugini. “The DWAM grant will help us to verify this estimate and properly plan for the programming of funds. We are grateful for this funding, as it was not programmed and would have directly affected the community’s funding for other critical needs.”
Forsyth Township $342,000 for water system enhancement through Distribution System Materials Inventory development and Asset Management Plan updates.
DWAM is a one-time, $36.5 million grant program developed by EGLE under the Clean Water Plan. It helps drinking water suppliers develop and update asset management plans, and/or develop a Distribution System Materials Inventory to identify materials that are part of the distribution system, such as lead service lines, as defined in Michigan’s revised Lead and Copper Rule. Some allocations under DWAM are still being determined, although grant applications have closed.
Governor Whitmer announced the $500 million MI Clean Water Plan in 2020 to rebuild the state’s water infrastructure to help provide clean, affordable water to Michiganders through investments in communities. It addresses Michigan water infrastructure issues such as lead-laden water service lines, toxic contamination like PFAS, undersized sewers, failing septic systems, unaffordable water rates, and constrained local budgets.
The drinking water quality portion of this historic investment includes $102.1 million in federal dollars for lead service line replacement in low-income communities, along with $105 million for General Fund programs that address PFAS or other contaminants, planning and/or rate studies, asset management plan development, and lead service line identification.
EGLE invests more than half of its budget in Micigan communities in the form of financial assistance to address water infrastructure and other efforts to protect the environment and health. For more information and an interactive dashboard on EGLE grants and loans, visit the Grants and Financing webpage.
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