Gov. Whitmer Announces 15 Michigan Cities, Villages and Townships Awarded MI Clean Water Plan Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2021
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov
Gov. Whitmer Announces 15 Michigan Cities, Villages and Townships Awarded MI Clean Water Plan Grants
LANSING, Mich. – Governor Whitmer today announced more than $2 million in grants were awarded recently under the umbrella of the MI Clean Water plan for 15 Michigan cities, villages and townships across the state. The assistance will help the communities better ensure safe, clean tap water for residents.
“We will continue making significant investments under the MI Clean Water Plan to replace lead service lines, tackle toxic contaminants including PFAs, and upgrading wastewater and stormwater management systems, all while creating thousands of good-paying jobs,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Today’s grants will help communities across Michigan facing unique challenges maintain and improve their water systems. I am grateful for the ongoing partnerships between the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and local communities to ensure that every Michigander has access to clean, safe drinking water.”
The grants boost overall state efforts to support local projects that improve water systems through work including replacing lead service lines, enhancing water affordability plans and connecting homes with contaminated drinking water wells to safe community water supplies.
The MI Clean Water plan is a $500 million investment announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year to rebuild the state’s water infrastructure to help provide clean, affordable water to Michiganders through investments in communities.
It addresses water infrastructure issues that Michigan faces such as lead-laden water service lines, toxic contamination like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), undersized sewers, failing septic systems, unaffordable water rates and constrained local budgets.
This historic investment includes a proposal combining federal dollars for lead service line replacement in low-income communities ($102.1 million) with bonding authority for water quality protection ($290 million), a one-time General Fund appropriation for drinking water infrastructure and innovation ($105 million), and asset management grants ($2.9 million) to help communities develop, update and improve their plans for wastewater and stormwater.
EGLE Director Liesl Clark said more than half of the agency’s budget is funneled to Michigan communities in the form of financial assistance to help address water infrastructure and other environmental- and health-protection efforts.
“These community water systems are critical to ensuring clean water for homes and businesses,” said Clark. “Our staff’s ongoing technical outreach and the Mi Clean Water initiative are important links in that chain.”
The Drinking Water Asset Management (DWAM) grant is available to assist water supplies in asset management plan development or updates, and/or distribution system materials inventory as defined in Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule.
The Affordability and Planning (AP) grant is available to any community water supply and local unit of government, including counties, townships, cities, villages and others to assist in planning and/or rate studies.
Recently approved grants awarded through the DWAM and AP programs:
DWAM Grants
Village of St. Charles – $397,083
Village of Mackinaw City – $210,225
City of Allen Park – $53,200
Village of Union City – $191,760
City of Plainwell – $269,950
City of Three Rivers – $274,775
City of Royal Oak – $252,133
Village of Berrien Springs – $215,000
AP Grants
Crystal Falls Township – $35,860
City of Harper Woods – $15,800
City of Highland Park – $120,000
City of Iron River – $101,300
City of Midland – $15,800
City of Muskegon Heights – $135,000
Village of Westphalia – $15,000
Michigan EGLE expects to update new grants and recipients under the MI Clean Water plan via a press release early each month throughout the summer of 2021. An archive of EGLE press releases is available here.
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