LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) has announced $21.2 million in MI Clean Water grants to help Michigan communities upgrade water infrastructure, protect health and the environment.

Drinking water plant upgrades in the city of St. Clair and wastewater treatment facility improvements in Croswell are among $21.2 million in Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) grants recently awarded to Michigan communities.

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The MI Clean Water Plan grants, through EGLE’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) aim to help communities upgrade aging infrastructure to ensure healthy drinking water and protect Michigan’s environment.

Seventy percent of Michiganders are served by more than 1,000 community wastewater systems and a similar percentage get drinking water from community water systems. Those systems often struggle to find resources to address legacy issues like aging drinking water and stormwater facilities and emerging challenges like new standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals.”

Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Legislature, and federal agencies have ramped up funding for aging water infrastructure – a critical move to help ensure those water systems continue to protect public health and the environment, including Michigan’s unmatched freshwater resources.

More than half of EGLE’s budget has traditionally passed through to Michigan cities, towns, villages, and other local government agencies to finance critical improvements that help them better protect residents and our natural resources.

Other cities receiving grants are the city of Montrose, Memphis, Coleman, and Bessemer.

Since January 2019 the State of Michigan has invested over $4 billion to upgrade drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater facilities across the state, supporting more than 57,000 jobs. In 2022, Governor Whitmer signed a package of bills to help communities access funding for water infrastructure.