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Ely Township asks state for $1.9 million to treat manganese in Greenwood system
Summary
Ely Township supervisor said Greenwood Water System serves 141 households and requires new sand-filter treatment to remove high manganese found after past testing errors; the township requested $1,900,000 after securing $100,000 for feasibility work.
Ely Township Supervisor Jeremy Lasko asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy for $1,900,000 to install sand-filter treatment for the Greenwood water system, which serves 141 households and has been found to contain high manganese.
Lasko said the township previously undercounted or improperly diluted tests under prior administration practices; once testing was done correctly, officials discovered elevated manganese levels. He told the subcommittee that local health officials required bottled water for children 12 and younger while the township pursues a permanent fix. "We were just granted a $100,000" for a feasibility study, he said, and the project’s total estimated cost is $2,000,000, leaving $1,900,000 requested to complete construction.
Lasko said Greenwood’s system is self-supporting and funded through user fees (a $52 flat monthly rate), not general tax revenue, and that spreading the cost over 141 households would be difficult. He described efforts to locate lower-cost options — including reusing an existing nearby building — and said the township explored combining systems with the Diorite water system but found that option would cost $6–8 million.
Representative Steckloff asked whether the 141 figure referred to households; Lasko confirmed it did and said options include returning to metering and developing a base rate to make billing fairer. The subcommittee did not take action on the request during the meeting.
