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Alpena seeks $3 million from state to replace century-old clear wells
Summary
Alpena city officials told the House Appropriations Subcommittee the city urgently needs to replace two finished-water clear wells built in 1922 and 1933 that serve about 15,000 residents; they requested $3,000,000 after bids exceeded earlier grant funding.
Alpena city officials asked a Michigan House appropriations subcommittee for $3,000,000 to finish replacing two aging finished-water clear wells at the city’s water treatment plant.
Rachel Smolinski, Alpena city manager, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that the plant — designated an American Water Works Institute landmark and constructed in 1922 — provides municipal water to Alpena and the neighboring charter township and produces roughly 700,000,000 gallons annually for more than 15,000 residents. She said the existing clear wells, built in 1922 and 1933 and with a combined capacity of 1,000,000 gallons, have shown persistent leakage, failing concrete supports and other deterioration and require replacement to maintain disinfection contact time and compliance with EGLE regulations.
Smolinski said the project originally carried an estimated construction cost of $6,200,000 plus about $1,000,000 for design and engineering and that the city received a $6,000,000 grant through a Michigan economic development workforce grant program in 2022. But she said additional infrastructure needs, internal valves and piping work and escalating material costs pushed bid results to about $9.843 million, and the city began construction in July 2024. "We are respectfully requesting $3,000,000 to complete the finished water clear well replacement project," she said, adding that the city has been using its water fund balance and delaying other capital projects to proceed without borrowing.
Representative Steckloff asked for a cost breakdown and what projects the city deferred; Smolinski deferred technical cost details to the city engineer, who confirmed bids approached the higher figure and said the city was reluctant to deplete its water fund to the point of borrowing.
The request was presented as part of the subcommittee’s review of multiple local infrastructure priorities; the committee did not vote on appropriations during the meeting.
