Wastewater system upgrades in several Upper Peninsula communities are among $45 million in Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) grants recently awarded to Michigan communities.
The MI Clean Water Plan grants, through EGLE’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), and Substantial Public Health Risk Project Program (SPHRP) aim to help communities upgrade aging infrastructure to ensure healthy drinking water and protect Michigan’s environment.
Seventy percent of Michiganders 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.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Legislature, and federal agencies have ramped up funding for aging water infrastructure – a critical move to help ensure those water systems continue to protect public health and the environment, including Michigan’s unmatched freshwater resources.
More than half of EGLE’s budget has traditionally passed through to Michigan cities, towns, villages, and other local government agencies to finance critical improvements that help them better protect residents and our natural resources.
U.P. grants approved through the CWSRF:
- Village of Newberry for $512,500. The project consists of rehabilitation of sanitary sewer pipe (approximately 10,000 linear feet) using cured-in-place-pipe lining and removal of intruding taps throughout the Village of Newberry. The project also includes acquisition of a 40-acre property for biosolids land application.
- Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Authority for $20,000,000. The Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Authority wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) project includes improvements to the headworks and electrical systems, primary treatment components, oxidation ditch processes, final treatment mechanisms, chemical building components, sludge handling processes, and equipment associated with digester processes. The WWTP will also be upgrading to a class A biosystems treatment process.
- West Iron County Sewer Authority for $3,162,500. This project includes upgrades to an ultraviolet disinfection system, replacement of influent pumping equipment with dry pit submersible pumps and variable frequency drives, replacement of all rotating biological contractor equipment, and upgrades to the supervisory control and data acquisition system at the West Iron County Sewer Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant.
U.P. grants through SPHRP:
- Section 32 Sewer Authority for $2,000,000. The Section 32 Sewer Authority owns and operates a wastewater collection system and an aerated lagoon treatment system in Wakefield Township. The lagoons are aging and impacting Jackson Creek. Several homes in the area are on individual failing septic systems and requesting to connect to the Section 32 collection system, however the lagoons would require major modifications to accept this wastewater. This project involves redirecting wastewater flows from the failing lagoon system to the base of the Black River Basin Ski Hill which will be conveyed to the Bessemer Area Sewer Authority (BASA) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Additionally, the failing Section 32 lagoon system will be properly abandoned. The Section 32 project is in conjunction with the BASA project to extend the force main of BASA WWTP to the base of the Black River Basin Ski Hill. Wastewater flows from both communities will be directed to BASA WWTP for full treatment.
- Bessemer Area Sewer Authority for $2,000,000. The Black River Basin Ski Hill in Bessemer Township includes resort buildings on septic systems and seven condominium buildings sharing a communal septic system. The septic systems and drain fields are failing and impacting Jackson Creek. The condominiums are currently pumping and hauling to offsite treatment. This project involves extending the force main of Bessemer Area Sewer Authority (BASA) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to the Black River Basin community and abandoning the current septic systems. This project is in conjunction with the Section 32 Sewer Authority project to redirect flow from their failing lagoon treatment system to the base of the Black River Basin Ski Hill. Wastewater flows from both communities will be directed to BASA WWTP for full treatment.
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