WATERFORD, Mich., June. 30, 2021—Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash developed and presented the Northwest Oakland Sanitary Drain Drainage District project at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting last week. The project will extend a sanitary sewer within Genesee County to the Oakland County border to serve certain areas within the Village of Ortonville and within the Townships of Groveland, Holly and Brandon. The Board of Commissioners agreed to allocate $10 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 to this project, which will provide sanitary sewer capacity in the Genesee County sewer system for a portion of Oakland County.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these communities to address issues of failing septic systems and to protect the environment by providing access to a sanitary sewer,” said Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. “This project will protect the lakes, streams and headwaters of the Flint River Watershed for years to come without encouraging further development and represents regional collaboration at its finest.”
Public health, safety and welfare are at the forefront of the project, which is aimed at reducing the environmental concerns of failing septic systems near lakes and sensitive areas, while promoting the appropriate treatment of sanitary sewage from homes, buildings and schools in the communities. The project will serve properties and provide sanitary sewers to the commercial area along M-15, Dixie Hwy and downtown Ortonville, as well and existing homes on small lots adjacent to lakes. By staying within local community master plans, the project will preserve most of the townships with large rural lots.
“This sewer extension project is a great example of regional collaboration by leaders from each local community, the two counties, the state and Congresswoman Slotkin,” said Oakland County Water Resources Environmental and Public Services Manager Brian Coburn. “Being able to leverage federal ARPA dollars will make a positive environmental impact in northern Oakland County for generations to come.”
The project will be completed in three phases with the initial $33 million phase being vitally important to the overall scope of the plan, as it provides a sanitary sewer in Genesee County that is large enough to accommodate the Oakland County communities. Phase Two involves the construction of a sewer extension along Dixie Highway and Grange Hall Road within Groveland and Holly Townships at an estimated cost of $49 million. Phase Three involves the construction of a sewer extension along M-15 in the Ortonville and Brandon Township at an estimated cost of $59 million.
Our office will be seeking funding for the future project phases in the coming years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to minimize costs to future sewer customers.
The $10 million allocation from Oakland County facilitates participation in the first phase of the project with Genesee County. The remaining $23 million will be funded through a mix of ARPA funds and local funds from the participating communities including Grand Blanc Township in Genesee County
About the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office
The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office is dedicated to protecting public health and safety, preserving natural resources and a healthy environment, maintaining reliable, high-quality service, ensuring the value of investment and contributing to economic prosperity. We set goals that encourage efforts to meet or exceed local, state and federal water quality standards, environmental regulations and safety requirements within our control. To learn more about us, visit www.oakgov.com/water.
