State Sen. Dale Zorn supports $3.3B water infrastructure bill
LANSING — State Sen. Dale Zorn joined his colleagues in the Michigan Senate this week in voting for $3.3 billion in water infrastructure spending.
The Michigan Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the measure that aims to replace lead pipes and repair aging dams around the state while also sending money to a Detroit-area system that has struggled with flooding blamed on climate change.
The House will next consider the influx of aid, likely in the new year. It includes about $2.4 billion in federal funding — $1.4 billion from the infrastructure law enacted last month and nearly $1 billion from the pandemic rescue law passed in March.
“This plan would make historic investments in our water infrastructure to protect our water and help ensure that all Michigan families have access to clean drinking water,” Zorn, R-Ida, said in an emailed statement. “Instead of using the unprecedented level of federal funding we are receiving to simply enlarge the size of government, this plan dedicated much of it to making positive, long-term improvements that will help make Michigan a better place to live, work and raise a family.
“Among the investments in the Protect MI Water plan are funds to help replace lead pipes, protect our Great Lakes and ensure students have safe water in their schools.”
Sen. Jon Bumstead, a Newaygo Republican and sponsor of the spending bill, called it "a step towards ensuring that our state water infrastructure undergoes transformational improvements that will benefit every Michigander for generations to come."
Senators initially proposed $600 million to replace service lines that can leach lead into drinking water if the supply isn't properly treated. They upped it to $1 billion following the passage of the federal infrastructure bill. Benton Harbor currently is grappling with elevated lead levels in homes.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has estimated that Michigan has 460,000 lead pipes in the ground, which would be the third-most in the country. State regulations, made tougher following Flint's water crisis, generally require that every line be replaced by 2040 — which could cost $2.5 billion in today's dollars.
"This is a huge part of that," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Tony Stamas said of the $1 billion, which is more than triple the $300 million for pipe replacements proposed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Communities would not have to contribute matching funds to get a grant, he said.
The legislation includes $650 million in state money for a new loan fund for dam owners and $400 million for the Great Lakes Water Authority in southeastern Michigan, which provides water to nearly 40% of the state's population and wastewater services to nearly 30%. Flooding in the Detroit area in June affected thousands of people. More than $245 million of the $400 million is designated for sewer improvements.
More than one-third of the lending for dams is set aside for a task force that oversees dams and lakes in Midland and Gladwin counties, where a "500-year" flood resulted in the failure of two dams and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to property.
Other funding includes:
$200 million in grants for wastewater infrastructure.
$100 million in stormwater, asset management and wastewater program grants.
$100 million in grants to remove PFAS chemicals from abandoned sites.
$85 million to install filtered water stations inside schools.
$50 million to help well owners connect to a community water system or increase the depth of their well if their water becomes contaminated or their well fails after a disaster.
$35 million in loans to address failing septic systems.
$15 million for emergency response activities by the state where a dam owner fails to pay for necessary work.
$15 million for a grant program for dam rehabilitation or removal.
"We look forward to working with both the House and the governor's office to get this across the line," said Stamas, a Midland Republican. "We have to start somewhere."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: State Sen. Dale Zorn supports $3.3B water infrastructure bill
