Pellston officials are planning for construction on a $44 million project that will transform the community’s drinking water.
The village secured funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to construct a new municipal water treatment and distribution system. The project will provide residents with a permanent public water supply sourced from outside the area’s known PFAS contamination zone.
The Health Department of Northwest Michigan first reported an elevated presence of PFAS, also referred to as “forever chemicals,” in Pellston water in 2020.
A third-party engineering study initiated three years ago found that the PFAS likely came from firefighting chemicals used by the airport, in response to recommendations from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Pellston Village President Jim Gillett said the water treatment and distribution center could be in place by 2030.
“We’ll either have shovels in the ground by later this fall or next spring,” Gillett said.
Final plans for bonding and loans should commence later this month, and the village is awarding final bids to multiple contractors shortly thereafter. The timing of the project’s start will be determined by the selected contractors and the weather.
Village residents will continue to receive bottled water delivered to Pellston that is funded by Emmet County until the municipal water system is in place, Gillett added. That water is available to any Pellston residents, regardless of whether their property is directly impacted by PFAS. The roughly 60 households with water directly impacted by PFAS will continue to have limited filtration support.
Village administrators have consistently worked with residents to provide informational updates about the water system in recent years, Gillett said. He thanked Emmet County and County Administrator David Boyer for their ongoing financial and operational support.
“They have been great partners,” Gillett said. “I think the hard part will be behind us here soon.”
The new municipal water system represents one of the largest public infrastructure investments in the village’s history and is expected to provide long-term drinking water security without placing the cost burden on local taxpayers. Many homes in and around the village have relied on private wells, forcing residents to navigate ongoing water testing programs while state and local officials searched for a long-term solution, Gillett said.
With EGLE’s funding secured, Gillett believes Pellston could experience commercial and residential growth in the next decade while simultaneously improving public health and protecting property values.
“The optimistic side of this story is that it opens the door for new businesses to connect with the village,” Gillett said. “It could also help with the housing market here in Northern Michigan because we know that (affordability) is a challenge. There’s nothing like good, clean, safe water.”
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: ‘Nothing like good, clean, safe water’: Pellston looking ahead to municipal water system project
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
