Lincoln Park council adopts final 2026 water and sewer project plan; engineers warn of lead-service replacements and possible rate increase

The Lincoln Park City Council on April 14 adopted a final project plan for 2026 drinking-water and sanitary-sewer improvements and authorized city staff to submit the plan to Michigan’s State Revolving Fund programs.

The work described in the plan focuses on replacing aging water mains in seven project areas, removing lead and galvanized water service lines from the main to 18 inches inside buildings, and investigating and rehabilitating sanitary sewers using cleaning, CCTV, smoke testing and cured-in-place pipelining. Hennessy/NEC engineer Kyle Hanna told the council the plan also includes rehabilitation of retention basins, new pumps and a generator the city has already ordered.

Why it matters: council members and staff said the work responds to long-standing infrastructure problems — frequent main breaks, low pressure, and sanitary overflows that have contributed to basement flooding. Engineers said state and federal rules on lead service lines require replacement schedules that will require multi-year work, and the city’s status as an overburdened community could make it eligible for principal forgiveness or longer loan terms.

Engineer Kyle Hanna, the plan presenter, said a distribution-system material…