Village of Baraga Receives Water Assessment Grant from EGLE

The village of Baraga recently received a water service assessment grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The $166,343 grant will allow the village to locate homes with lead or copper service lines. This grant comes as the second attempt by the village of Baraga to receive such a grant, said Village Manager LeAnn LeClair. The grant also covers twenty five percent of the cost of equipment that will help crews locate and replace lead or copper service lines.

“We applied for it last year. and apparently we didn’t score high enough. So UP Engineers, myself and my crew here in the village, got another application ready for this year. And we happened to have received the grant this year. If lines need to be replaced they’ll go ahead and replace them. We have 345 unknowns out of 700 service lines. It covers 25% of purchasing a new excavator, concrete saw, and a cable locator.” – LeAnn LeClair, Baraga Village Manager

The water assessment grant is meant to protect public health by replacing lead and copper service lines that connect water mains to individual homes. Many houses in the region were built during a time when lead and copper were typical materials used for residential water pipes. The grant will be the first step in the process of replacing old service lines in the village.