Lyon Township officials are looking forward to being able to provide customers with clean water, as the township’s water system improvement project progresses.

After years of supplying low-quality water, the township’s water system will soon be providing clean and iron-free water. The water system is undergoing a facelift through an improvement project that includes the construction of two water treatment plants; one at South Hill and the other, the Woodwind Treatment Plant, located on Ten Mile Road.

According to township Supervisor John Dolan, the Woodwind Treatment Plant will soon be online and providing clean water to the system’s customers. Dolan reports water samples are being sent to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality this week. If the samples are found to be clean, the plant could be operational within the next week. Once the South Hill plant comes online, the township will be able to provide 11.5 million gallons of water per day to residents.

The improvement project also includes a new water tower, which is being constructed on the site at Nine Mile and Griswold. The tower will have a water distribution center where residents can purchase water in small amounts, like by the gallon, or as much as a tanker-truck’s worth for purposes like swimming pools.

The project has been in the works for about two and a half years. Dolan says the need for various official and department approvals, as well as funding, has contributed to the lengthy process. The township took over the operation of the water plants from the county in June which, Dolan happily reports, has saved the municipality a significant amount of money. (DK)