Oakland County Drain Commissioner John McCulloch told the Orion Township Board of Trustees on April 19 that a new master plan initiative in place by Oakland County could help communities prioritize their water and waste water management needs.
‘We want to see if we can provide communities options as they deal with the challenge of managing their water and waste water needs,? he said, adding that $1.5 million had already been allocated for the initiative, with another $500,000 coming from a grant.
‘We’ve hired a national firm to meet with all the communities,? McCulloch said. ‘We want to find out from you what your priorities are and coordinate with neighboring communities and counties.?
McCulloch’s vision was that at the end of a two-year time period, the county would have a working document.
‘We’re taking your priorities and your needs and hopefully providing you some options,? he said.
According to McCulloch, lots of communities are now looking for alternative and back up systems for water management.
‘That’s a large part of this,? he added. ‘We’re doing additional feasibility studies.?
McCulloch said northern communities were struggling with meeting EPA mandates concerning wells, and some might possibly be converting to new systems in the future. He said the initiative would benefit those communities as well.
‘I’d like to thank you for allowing us at the local level to have input into this very important master plan,? said treasurer Jim Marleau.
McCulloch said storm water was a ‘big unknown? for many communities, and they would struggle trying to meet the EPA’s unfunded mandate.
‘We want to bring in as much state and federal dollars available,? he said. ‘I have requested as part of the next year’s federal earmark, $2 million to help with that effort.?