FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 31, 2022 

Contact: EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278 

  

Gov. Whitmer Awards MI Clean Water Grants to 11 Cities, Villages, Townships 

  

LANSING, Mich. -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer today awarded nearly $5 million in grants under the umbrella of the MI Clean Water plan to 11 Michigan cities, villages and townships to help local water suppliers move toward reducing the risks associated with lead in drinking water and other improvements to better ensure safe, clean tap water for residents. 

 

"Investing in water infrastructure creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, protects access to safe drinking water for communities, and drives down costs for families," said Governor Whitmer. "The MI Clean Water plan helps us put Michiganders first, and we should continue building on it to replace lead service lines statewide, tackle toxic contaminants, and cut utility costs for families." 

   

"Michigan continues to be committed to helping communities address longstanding water infrastructure deficits," said Liesl Clark, EGLE director. "With more federal support on the way for work like removing lead service lines and other pressing needs, we're pleased to complement those efforts with these innovative grant programs that have been assisting local water systems." 

 

The Mi Clean Water plan is an $500 million investment announced by Governor Whitmer to rebuild the state's water infrastructure to help provide clean, affordable water to Michiganders through investments in communities. Issued through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the grants support work including replacing lead service lines, enhancing water affordability plans, and connecting homes with contaminated drinking water wells to safe community water supplies. 

  

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. 

 

"We welcome this investment in clean drinking water for Pontiac's residents," said Mayor Tim Greimel, City of Pontiac. "The City is grateful to the State of Michigan for its commitment to rebuild Michigan's water infrastructure." 

 

"Our municipal utilities, including drinking water, are one of Wyandotte's greatest assets," said Kelly Stec, Councilwoman, City of Wyandotte. "This investment of nearly $800,000 will be used to add new carbon filtration to our system, ensuring our tap water remains safe and free of major contaminants including PFAS. I want to thank our incredible Municipal Services team for bringing this project to life, and I look forward to future partnerships with the state to continue moving our city towards a bright, sustainable future." 

 

"On behalf of myself and our Board of Trustees, Brownstown Township is grateful for the continued support from our partners at the State of Michigan," said Brian Peters, Township Manager, Brownstown Township. "This investment will support our shared mission of working to ensure the safest drinking water for our residents. This grant improves our ability to identify, track and prioritize necessary investments in our water infrastructure. We appreciate the leadership from Gov. Whitmer and our representatives in the Michigan Legislature for providing the tools and funding to make these improvements." 

   

The Drinking Water Quality portion of this historic investment has already been approved and includes federal dollars for lead service line replacement in low-income communities ($102.1 million) and General Fund programs that address PFAS or other contaminants, planning and/or rate studies, asset management plan development and lead service line identification ($105M).  The governor continues to advocate for the Wastewater Protection program that would be funded through existing bonding authority ($290 million). 

  

More than half of EGLE'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. 

  

The Drinking Water Asset Management (DWAM) grant assists water supplies in asset management plan development or updates, and/or distribution system materials inventory as defined in Michigan's Lead and Copper Rule.   All funds have been allocated and EGLE is no longer accepting applications. 

  

The Affordability and Planning Grant (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.  EGLE is not currently accepting applications. 

  

The Consolidation and Contamination Risk Reduction (C2R2) grant funds projects that remove or reduce PFAS or other contaminants, as defined under state or federal drinking water regulations, or efforts to consolidate systems or connect private residential wells to a local municipal system.  All funds have been allocated and EGLE is no longer accepting applications. 

 

Recent grants awarded under the DWAM grant program: 

  

Oakland County (City of Pontiac)	$456,600
Rochester Hills, City of	$707,180
Auburn, City of	$229,301
St. Clair, City of	$210,142
Roscommon, Village of	$183,719
Brighton, City of	$218,564
Wyandotte, City of	$98,800
Norway, City of	$371,296
Brownstown, Charter Twp. of	$588,369

 

Recent grants awarded under the C2R2 grant program: 

  

Garfield, Charter Twp. of	$1,224,140
Wyandotte, City of	$674,490

 

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