SAULT STE. MARIE — At the Sault City Commission meeting on Monday, July 7, commissioners approved two contracts to begin replacing water mains and lead-lined pipes.
“This is a massive, massive undertaking and we appreciate the work that the city is putting into this,” said commissioner Andrew Rubenstein.
The city awarded $13,652,363 in contracts to rebuild water infrastructure over two separate projects. The first contract of $12,018,463 was given to Elmer’s Crane and Dozer, Inc. to replace water mains and remove lead lining from city pipes.
Replacements of water mains will happen on Riverside Drive, the 6th Avenue alley, Ryan Avenue, East Portage Avenue and also the replacement of 137 galvanized service lines known to have previously been connected to lead.
The second contract of $1,633,900 given to Roen Salvage Company is for replacing and protecting water intake systems. The project will include the replacement of the collapsed portion of the intake main through to the intake crib and will protect and reinforce it to prevent it from collapsing again in the future.
Officials said affected property owners should only be minimally affected by these replacement projects.
Originally, the commission planned to award a third contract for water main lining but could not due to the projects coming in over budget. If more funding becomes available in the future, the commission plans to return to this contract.
According to city officials, Sault has been steadily working on upgrading the city’s water system since 1995, when a water reliability study showed several necessary upgrades. Many projects still need to be addressed, including galvanized and lead water service line removal, upgrades to the St. Marys Water Intake and replacement of aging water mains.
The city has been given the use of $13,508,000 from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, $2,128,000 in loan principal forgiveness funding and $1,249,000 in grant funding. Using these funds, the city has been working to develop these projects since 2023.
In December 2024, the commission approved a cost of $16,885,000 for these projects. That total included the third project, which was not approved this time around.
Before final notice can be given, approval must still be obtained by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, who provided the grant funding.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault Ste. Marie plans major water infrastructure replacement projects
Reporting by Brendan Wiesner, Sault Ste. Marie News / The Sault News
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