Mount Clemens accepts $346,000 DEQ grant to replace lead and galvanized water service lines

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to accept a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality pilot grant aimed at locating and replacing privately held sections of lead and galvanized water service lines.

City staff told the commission the city was awarded $346,000 "with no monetary matching requirements for this funding," and that the work would include locating and replacing the private portion of service lines from the water meter to the main to comply with the new Michigan Lead and Copper Rule.

"The work will consist of locating and replacing privately held portions of lead and galvanized water service lines from the municipal water main to the water meter," staff said, and a sample grant agreement was attached for review. Staff said they had applied for up to $1,000,000 but the awarded funding would likely not cover every service line in the city, so the city will concentrate replacements where known.

Commissioners asked whether the city should wait for results from an ongoing AEW audit; staff said known locations will be the focus and that the program will include a contractor bid process and restoration of lawns and sidewalks. Staff also said start and end dates shown in the sample agreement would be corrected in the final document.

The motion to adopt the resolution also authorized Interim City Manager Lisa Borges and Assistant City Manager Jeffrey Wood to execute the grant agreement once it had been reviewed by the city attorney and any revisions between the city and DEQ were agreed upon. The commission approved the resolution by roll-call vote.