Lincoln Park adopts 2027 SRF plan to replace lead services and rehab sewers
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Summary
After a public hearing, the Lincoln Park mayor and council adopted a 2027 DWSRF/CWSRF project plan that funds replacement of lead/galvanized service lines and sanitary sewer rehabilitation, and they designated the DPS director as the city's authorized representative to apply to Michigan EGLE.
Mayor Maureen Tobin and the Lincoln Park City Council adopted a project plan April 13 to seek state drinking-water and clean-water revolving fund support for drinking-water lead-service replacement and sanitary sewer rehabilitation.
The council adopted the planning document after a presentation by Carl (Cale) Hanna of Hennessy Engineering. Hanna said the plan focuses on replacing hundreds of lead or galvanized services “from the water main existing water main to the inside the property,” and listed work including replacement of 320 lead water services, sanitary sewer CCTV and smoke testing, sewer lining, retention-basin rehabilitation and lift-station upgrades. He said the city would submit the project plan to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) by May 1 and that EGLE issues a priority list in August.
Why it matters: the plan is Lincoln Park’s primary vehicle to qualify for low-interest, long-term loans and possible principal forgiveness under the DWSRF and CWSRF programs. Hanna described typical SRF terms as 20-year loans at about 2% and said principal forgiveness is sometimes awarded for projects on the fundable list.
Costs, timeline and household impact: during the presentation Hanna gave several cost estimates and user-impact figures from the project model. He described a lead-service component and a sanitary-sewer component; for household cost projections he said the lead-service repayment would amount to roughly $212,488 per year (an approximately $14 per year or $1.20 per household increase in the transcript’s summary) and that sanitary-sewer work would require about $426,047 per year (about $28.30 per household per year, or $2.35 per month). Hanna also said the city anticipates loan-closing notifications from the state in August and, if approved, construction could begin April 2028.
Scope and regulatory drivers: Hanna referenced the federal and state response to Flint and a change in the lead action level and said replacement obligations flow from the lead and copper rules. He told the council EGLE requires replacement to the first shutoff valve or to the meter where applicable.
Public comments and construction impacts: several residents spoke during the hearing. Ashley Pappo praised crews who completed a replacement at her home, saying crews were “quick” and “respectful.” Another resident described a water-main crew that dug up Arlington Street but returned later and “buried everybody’s holes” without completing the work; staff and the engineer agreed to follow up after the hearing.
What happens next: the council designated the DPS director as the authorized representative to submit the plan to EGLE and the city will await EGLE’s funding/prioritization notices. Council members asked for details on principal-forgiveness allocation and urged staff to coordinate homeowner notices and consent procedures.
Quote (from the presentation): “This project plan is focused on replacing 320 lead water service in various location of the city,” said Carl Hanna of Hennessy Engineering. “We have the addresses already. We sent many of them the letters already… we need a consent order from the resident to look into inside the house just to verify.”
Next step: city staff will finalize the application and submit it by May 1; EGLE’s ranking is expected in August, after which the city will know whether it receives loan or principal-forgiveness awards.
