Escanaba council approves $35 million project plan to pursue state revolving funds, CDBG grant and lead-service replacements

The Escanaba City Council on May 15 adopted a final project plan to pursue Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) financing and authorized related grant applications and contractor hiring for lead service line replacement work.

City staff and C2AE engineers described a multi-faceted water improvement project that would replace aging water mains and lead service lines, upgrade components of the water treatment plant and add equipment to address trihalomethanes (TTHMs). The project plan identified roughly 18,000 feet (proposal target) of water main replacement within a broader inventory of older mains and an estimated 500 to 600 standalone service replacements affected by lead service lines. Project-level estimated cost presented to council was $35,000,000.

"The estimated cost for this next phase of proposed improvements is $35,000,000," said Darren Payant of C2AE during the public hearing presentation.

Council action and related votes: council approved Resolution No. 25-06 adopting a final DWSRF project plan and designating an authorized project representative; approved Resolution No. 25-07 to submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) water-related infrastructure application focused on clear well and filter-bed upgrades; and authorized the city to contract for lead service line replacements at the rate of $3,350 for a half service and $6,200 for a full service per address.

Officials said applying to both the DWSRF and CDBG programs improves the city's chances to secure principal forgiveness or other grant funding; combining water main, lead-service replacements and treatment-plant work typically scores higher in state prioritization. The city manager and staff stressed that placement on the DWSRF list does not obligate the city to accept loan terms and that the amount of principal forgiveness will be determined by the state scoring process.

Construction impacts noted in the public hearing included temporary road closures, localized water interruptions (generally less than 12 hours for affected buildings), erosion protection and restoration work. Staff said the city has had no health-based violations in the past five years.

During the meeting one resident, Lehi Vandywater, asked about random lead testing and whether city sampling would occur this spring; city staff said they would follow up outside the hearing with specifics. Councilors also discussed reimbursement concerns from residents who previously paid privately to replace lines; staff and council said the city has no legal obligation to reimburse past privately funded replacements.

Next steps: staff will submit the DWSRF project plan and CDBG application, await state scoring, and return to council with funding offers and recommendations on project scope and financing. Contracted lead-service replacements will proceed using licensed, insured contractors at the approved per-address rates as projects are scheduled by the water department.