Three Oaks Village Council hears wastewater system feasibility study results

Members of the Three Oaks Village Council heard results of a feasibility study regarding the village’s submitted for Section House wastewater system Thursday, Dec. 2. Mary Deneau Nykamp and Andrew Rudd of Wightman and Associates were both present to give the findings. According to Rudd, the issues at the lagoon site have been identified and documented as far back as May 2015, A total of five violation notices have been received to date to address various issues. A draft administrative consent order (ACO) was received in March 2021, and Wightman was engaged shortly thereafter. Past studies that have been completed include a wastewater characterization study in 2018, an original site plan to combine industrial pretreatment program review that was done in 2018 and a wastewater capacity study in 2019. The scope of the current effort of Wightman is to identify the feasibility of a GRSD Authority connection, reviewing and utilizing past studies and assisting the village with the EGLE connection – which has been “significant,” Rudd said. The regional treatment alternative involves the connection to the GRSD Authority. In June, the village requested GRSD evaluate their system capacity for consideration of accepting the village’s and a land division at 13252 wastewater for treatment. The board was “receptive to a connection,” he said; however, their engineers review revealed they didn’t have sufficient capacity to accommodate the village’s flow currently and “significant capital improvements were required” to the GRSD wastewater treatment facility. Rudd said the GRSD board came back with $5.3 million worth of improvements (the village allocation of GRSD upgrades) “just to their

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA wastewater treatment facility.”

Adding in the other costs, such as the need to decommission the existing lagoons, the four-mile force main from the lagoons to the GRSD system and the administrative engineering costs, and the entire project would be just over $11 million.

Rudd said that, in discussions with county staff and the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission over possible EDA grants and American Rescue Fund grants that may be out there, it was learned that the highest grant that can be expected from EDA is $3 million, which isn’t “quite enough to bring that $11 million down to what our next alternative is going to look like.”

“With that $3 million, and if we got a half million form the county and the village issued a $3 million bond, you’d still be $3 to $4 million short,” he said.

The local alternative would include the installation of an aeration system into the existing lagoons for increasing treatment capacity as well as to sell one of the lagoons.

In addition to aeration, other improvements include improving the existing lift station in “fair to poor condition” and repairing erosion along the south and west banks of the lagoons. Rudd said they received a memo from the state that night that addresses some of the erosion repair or relining of the lagoons “which could have an impact on these costs,” he said.

The improvements have an estimated cost of $2.4 million, which doesn’t include the possible relining of the lagoons.

Rudd said they’re hoping they can just correct the erosion on only the banks of all three ponds.

He added that they could apply to the EDA for grants, but it isn’t as “favorable of a project” for one.

“It’s still economic development arguably, but it’s not the same scale as a regional treatment plant would be for economic development, so I think our chance for getting a grant would be much less,” he said.

Regardless of what alternative was selected, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) would require an Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) if nondomestic customers are allowed to discharge to the sanitary system.

Councilmembers approved implementing a high-strength wastewater customer investigation, in the amount of $21,024.

Rudd said sampling that would be done would “basically create a list that shows which users are high strength” within the village.

NyKamp said the samplers could be in place by the second week of January at the earliest. If decision was made that night, she said next week, they’ll come out and look at the nine designated sites within the village with the laboratory. The laboratory would be setting the samplers, which would go into a manhole and stay there for seven days.

“In this proposal, we’re saying that we’re going to use the water account data to then take this concentration data and you put them together and you come up with what you call a loading,” she said.

Councilmembers said that they were concerned because some of the businesses close in January and don’t reopen until the spring, which could prevent an accurate sampling.

Village attorney Charles Hilmer said that the state is very concerned that the village get started on the process “as soon as possible.” He added that a list could be compiled of businesses that are suspected to be contributing that are closing, thereby making the results less “representative.” A “grace period” may then be granted until the businesses are open and running again.

LASATA CONGRATULATES CASSOPOLIS ON NEW EQ UNITED EXPANSION

State Sen. Kim LaSata applauded EQ United for choosing southwest Michigan for its new expansion, saying the new development will provide an economic boost to the area and bring with it a number of openings for goodpaying jobs.

“This is an exciting development for the village of Cassopolis,” said LaSata, R-Coloma. “I applaud local leaders for their hard work to attract new investments and opportunities and thank the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for enabling projects that make such a difference in communities across the state.”

EQ United was founded in Elkhart, Indiana, and is a manufacturer of components for RVs and trailers. The company currently has three campuses in Indiana, and Cassopolis was chosen for its newest development to consolidate operations over competing sites in Indiana. The new expansion will house office space, retail and installation space and additional manufacturing areas.

The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $6.2 million and create up to 175 jobs.

“This announcement is great news for the local economy and will provide a number of opportunities for area families,” LaSata said. “Michigan and manufacturing go hand in hand and this project will only help further southwest Michigan’s role in the industry.” — STAFF