Council authorizes $3 million DWSRF lead-service replacement; city to repay roughly $1.5 million over 20 years

The Coldwater City Council on April 13 approved a resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds to support a $3 million Drinking Water State Revolving Fund project that will fund lead service line replacements across the city.

Finance director Tim Eldridge and city staff said the DWSRF application covers lead service line removal and related work. "This is a $3 million project, but instead of being 100% the no-debt absolved, this one is going to be a 50% removal. So, we'll... owe the state $1.5 million. That we'll pay back over 20 years," staff said.

Staff described public impacts: residents will see visible construction this summer on US‑12 and in the fourth ward, with additional work underway on Morse Street. Council members asked whether local streets would be fully repaved; staff said MDOT or the state typically handles full repaving on state routes but city patches would be made until state resurfacing occurs.

Why it matters: Replacing lead service lines is part of state and federal efforts to reduce lead exposure and update aging water infrastructure. The DWSRF funding model here reduces upfront city costs while leaving a portion of the project as repayable debt on the water fund.

Next steps: Council adopted Resolution 2634 to proceed with the bonding/financing process; staff will coordinate construction phasing and public notification to minimize disruptions in areas targeted for service-line replacement.