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Oakland County Water Resources presents infrastructure, lead‑line replacement and affordability programs for Pontiac
Summary
Oakland County Water Resources commissioner Jim Nash and staff described ongoing water-main and sewer rehabilitation projects, lead service line replacement efforts, grant-backed financing and affordability programs including hardship assistance for residents.
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash and staff presented a broad update to the Pontiac City Council on April 1 about ongoing water and sewer infrastructure work, lead-line replacement, affordability programs and several grant-funded projects across the city.
Nash said the county and its contractors are replacing water mains, rehabilitating sewer lines and applying trenchless lining where feasible to reduce future maintenance. The presentation highlighted work in Seminole Hills and Bagley Street and a project that required about 2.5 miles of water-main and roughly 5 miles of sewer work with a multi‑million‑dollar budget; Nash said the county has secured state and federal grants for portions of the program.
On lead-line replacement, the county said a significant share of service lines into homes will require replacement and described outreach. Nash urged residents to use cold water for cooking and to flush taps if water has stood unused for more than six hours; he also advised routine aerator cleaning. The county will publish a “story map” that lets residents enter an address to see the county’s records about the service material at that location.
Nash said the county has applied for and secured multiple grants and is attempting to limit the rate impact on ratepayers. He said the county also expanded affordability tools including a hardship assistance program that can provide temporary help for up to three months and aid arrearages for households up to 300% of federal poverty levels in certain cases.
County staff listed upcoming project outreach events and workforce and small-business outreach events tied to the 31 East Judson renovation and other projects. Nash also said the county is recruiting employees, offering jobs from engineering to field labor, and encouraged Pontiac residents to apply for project jobs and apprenticeships.
Council members asked for timelines on specific neighborhood projects and said they appreciated the transparency and the public map tool to check whether a service line is known or unknown in county records.
