Water/Wastewater

The City owns and operates seven drinking-water-production wells that range in depths from 260 to 560 feet, each with a pumping capacity of approximately 1,000 gallons per minute. Three reservoirs store a total of 1,700,000 gallons of water. The Department of Public Works maintains approximately 80 miles of water-transmission and water-distribution pipelines. In 2020, 597,489,000 gallons of water were produced for 3,405 customers, some of whom were in Bear Creek and Resort Townships. Water-utility costs for 2020 have been budgeted at $2,510,200, with revenues estimated at $2,538,500.

From a network of approximately 50 miles of collection pipelines, which also includes 23 lift-pump stations, the Department of Public Works treated 447,762,000 gallons of wastewater in 2020 at a certified secondary-stage reclamation plant that has a capacity of 2,500,000 gallons per day. The Department treats wastewater for 3,115 customers within and near the City and is the treatment contractor for the neighboring Bear Creek Township that has 500 customers. Sewer-system costs, budgeted at $3,246,800 for 2020, would be offset by $3,409,800 in revenues. Treated wastewater from the City's reclamation plant is discharged into Lake Michigan, and treated stabilized biosolids are land applied on area farm fields as fertilizer.