City of Hillsdale awarded Drinking Water Asset Management Grant

The City of Hillsdale and Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities are pleased to announce that the City has successfully obtained a $241,000 Drinking Water Asset Management (DWAM) Grant through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). The Grant will help ensure the City’s water supply complies with rules promulgated by the 2018 revisions to Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). There are no matching funds required for this grant.

The City intends to use the grant funds to complete verifications of water service lines according to the LCR revisions as well as compile a Complete Distribution System Material Inventory (CDSMI), which is due to EGLE by January 2025. A key component of the CDSMI is determining the material type of every water service into residences and businesses within the City’s water service area. This will require evaluating existing records, physical field verification of lines, as well as any other means necessary to gain confidence in the City’s inventory and material types.

“The funds received from the grant will help complete verifications of water service lines as required by EGLE, so receiving this grant will offset funds that otherwise would have come from the ratepayers,” Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities Director Chris McArthur said. “This is a great testament to the hard work and dedication that City and BPU staff put into finding grant opportunities for funding City projects.”

The DWAM Grant is the first grant program to be developed by EGLE under Michigan’s new Clean Water Plan that invests in water infrastructure around the state. Michigan allocated $36.5 million to the program, which began accepting applications in October 2020. EGLE reported having received 304 DWAM applications requesting $140 million in funds — greatly exceeding the amount available.

As a condition of the grant, all grant-related activities must be completed within three years of the executed grant agreement.