(WWJ) -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) are proposing a $200 million expansion of the MI Clean Water Plan to remove lead service lines and improve access to safe drinking water across the state, with an emphasis on the coastal town of Benton Harbor.
Located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the southwest corner of the state, Benton Harbor recently reported "a lead exceedance under the state's strict Lead and Copper Rule," which Whitmer's administration says "stands as a clear example of decades of disinvestment in water infrastructure and the need for further investment across the state to keep Michigan families safe."
The governor announced her $200 million expansion proposal Wednesday, asking the state legislature to use federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to make it happen, with $20 million of that money going towards efforts in Benton Harbor. Officials did not directly disclose specific plans for replacing lead pipes in other areas of the state.
The $200 million would be added to the existing MI Clean Water Plan, which already has $102 million to go towards lead service line replacement. Whitmer says Michigan is expecting even more assistance in replacing lead service lines under President Biden's "soon-to-be-passed" Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which specifically includes $15 billion for lead service line replacement nationwide.
Whitmer says she looks forward to utilizing the funds, which not only will help bring safer drinking water to the state, but also create "thousands of good-paying jobs in the process."
Her administration's goal would be to replace 100% of the lead service lines in Benton Harbor in a matter of five years, while ensuring that all families in that community have access to free installation of in-home drinking water filters and lead awareness training during the accelerated water infrastructure upgrade process.
The city has approximately 6,000 water service lines, most of which consist of lead or unknown materials. The particular emphasis on Benton Harbor is necessary, Whitmer's office says, because in spite of efforts taken by the city, EGLE and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the city's water system has failed to meet the regulatory standard for lead for six straight sampling periods over the course of the last three years.
Earlier this year the city secured a $5.6 million grant from the EPA to start replacing lead service lines, and the $20 million announced Wednesday would help speed up the process of removing LSLs in Benton Harbor and mitigate "ongoing threats to public health."
Whitmer says every Michigander "deserves access to safe drinking water and every community deserves lead-free pipes."
"We must make long-overdue upgrades to our water infrastructure and build on the progress we have made under the MI Clean Water Plan to replace lead pipes, fix sewer systems, and tackle PFAS in our water supply," Whitmer said. "I will work to get people the help they need right now and make lasting, structural investments in infrastructure to protect public health. I urge leaders in Washington to come together to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act so we can replace lead service lines nationwide, and ensure every parent can give their kid a glass of water at the dinner table with confidence that it's safe."
