Big Rapids seeks state funding for infrastructure improvements

Apr 27, 2023

Big Rapids city officials are looking to the state to help fund much needed upgrades to the city's water system.

BIG RAPIDS — The Big Rapids city commission gave the go-ahead to city administrators to submit an application to the Michigan Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for financial assistance in upgrading the city's drinking water infrastructure during its meeting May 15.

The DWSRF program is designed to assist water suppliers in satisfying the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act by offering low-interest loans of 20, 30, or 40 years to eligible water suppliers.

Scott Hall, of Fleis and VandenBrink Engineering, presented a project plan for the application process to the board, including project objectives and project cost estimates.

Hall said the infrastructure is aging and much of the mechanical equipment is "nearing or beyond" its useful life. The planned upgrades are intended to increase the reliability of the system and replace the remaining lead and copper service lines.

"A lot of it comes down to aging infrastructure and lead service lines," Hall said. "We are looking to increase the overall reliability of the system and address some of the remaining lead service line replacements as required by the state."

Specific project goals include the replacement of the State Street water main and improvements to the State Street booster station, both of which were originally installed in 1961.

"The water main along State Street has had some critical breaks recently that required emergency repairs, so that is one of the critical lines we are looking at replacing," he said. "The State Street booster station is a critical pump station that serves a high-pressure district. It helps serve and maintain the pressure. There is only one large duty pump, and if it were to fail, there is a bit of a risk there. That pump is starting to age, so we are looking at increasing the reliability of that pump."

Upgrades to the Hills of Mitchell Creek booster station, which the city is currently working on, will involve the replacement of the current pump with two new smaller pumps and the addition of water storage tanks to improve pressure to the homes in the development.

"We have talked about that pump station," Hall said. "That project is included in the overall application. With those upgrades, we are trying to maintain pressure throughout the development."

By including the project in the overall application, they hope to get some additional funding support.

Improvements at the water treatment plant will include removing the aerator on the influent piping, relocating the flow meter and control valve, and recoating the clarifiers.

"One of the needs identified is, as the water is pumped from the wells, it goes through an aerator designed to bring the iron out of the water. In doing that, it adds a lot of air. If that becomes too high of a concentration, it can cause corrosion issues," Hall said. "It was found it is more efficient to run without the aerator, so we are looking at removing that to improve the operation of the water plant.

"Additionally, downstream of the water plant, after they aerate the water, it goes through the clarifier which helps settle the solids out and clean water to flow out the top," he continued. "They were installed in the early 80s, and an inspection of the metal component showed the metal is still structurally in good condition, but the coating is starting to deteriorate, so it will need recoating to extend the life of the units."

Lead and copper service line replacement is an ongoing project within the city. Plans include the replacement of around 148 service lines this year.

"The overall objective is to provide high-quality water service to customers, to improve the integrity and reliability of the system, to address failing water mains, and to comply with EGLE's (Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) lead and copper rules," Hall said.

Total cost estimate for the project plan, including engineering and administrative costs, is just over $8 million.

Hall said the city has a good chance of being designated as "significantly overburdened" in the scoring criteria for the funding, which will increase the potential for grant dollars. Additional criteria include the need for compliance with state-mandated upgrades, public health and safety, and water quality.

The DWSRF award can be either in the form of grants, or low-interest loans, or both. The project plan will be submitted by June 1. Scoring will be done over the summer, with an October release for scoring and funding packages available.

If the city decides to move forward with the project, it will go through construction design through the winter and construction will take place from 2024 through 2026.