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(Washington D.C.)- Congressman Sander Levin welcomed the announcement today that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality had awarded Recovery Act funds to more than two dozen Michigan water infrastructure projects around the state, including several projects in Macomb and Oakland Counties.
All together, Michigan announced a total of $89.8 million in Recovery Act money to 27 water infrastructure projects. The total cost of these projects totals $213.5 million. The projects will repair sewers, improve wastewater collection and treatment facilities, and reduce pollution.
“These investments provide badly needed federal money to help repair local water infrastructure, and create job opportunities,” said Rep. Levin. “This funding is vital at a time when local budgets are under tremendous stain.”
The largest award announced was $15.9 million in Recovery Act funds to support a $42 million project by Oakland and Macomb Counties to conduct extensive repairs to the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor. The interceptor is a 21-mile sewer that is the sole conduit that transports sanitary sewage from over 300,000 residents of Oakland and Macomb Counties to the City of Detroit for treatment. Oakland and Macomb Counties assumed ownership of the Interceptor a year ago in a broad settlement agreement reached with the Detroit Water and Sewage Department as well as the City of Detroit and Wayne County. The settlement resolved a large number of longstanding disputes between the parties, ending years of contentious litigation.
Other projects receiving Recovery Act awards include: the City of Lathrup Village, $482,000 for Sewer rehabilitation; the City of Warren, $2 million to help upgrade its wastewater treatment plant, and $882,000 to assist the 8 ½ Mile Relief Drain District in Macomb County with retention basin improvements.
More information on the announcement is available here: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135--230735--,00.html
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