Summer lawn water times have been shifted and a water rate increase appears “imminent” in Chesterfield Township following approval of a new water service contract.
The Chesterfield Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously June 28 to execute a water service contract with Great Lakes Water Authority. The contract is renewed on a four-year cycle, with the last agreement approved in 2018.
Water rates are expected to increase for customers in the township, but it is not yet known by how much.
“Something is imminent, though,” said township engineer Mitch O’Connor.
The new contract has a couple of minor changes.
“The max day was decreased from 8.75 to 8.24 million gallons per day, and the peak hour was increased from 12 to 12.5 million gallons per day,” O’Connor said at the recent board meeting. “Those changes are reflected based on four years of metering data from 2018 to 2022, so they’ll be used for the next four years going forward. Then after that four-year period, we’ll review those numbers and see if they can be changed.”
During the contract review, it was determined the township’s peak hour occurs from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.
“We think it’s a result of sprinkler systems still running, probably in the larger developments like condos,” O’Connor said. “So we’re going to revise our watering time … to try and reduce that peak hour over the next four years.”
Summer lawn water times will shift from the previously set hours of midnight to 5 a.m. to the new hours of 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
A notice informing customers of the change is expected to be placed on all bills starting in July and broadcast using other methods, O’Connor said.
Trustee David Joseph suggested doing more, such as making the notice more prominent on bills to ensure people see the change has been made.
“Those could have a big impact with some of the larger condo associations and different things. … How do we let our residents know? Because they could think they’re watering at an off-peak rate, and in fact, they’re now on a peak rate, which could substantially change things,” Joseph said.
“We are doing everything we can as fast as we can to make sure that the residents get this message,” Supervisor Brad Kersten noted.
It is recommended all customers use water during non-peak hours.
The motion to execute the water service contract between the township and GLWA was made by Clerk Cindy Berry, supported by Kersten and unanimously approved by the board. The water service contract serves as a base operational agreement between the GLWA and the township as amended by analysis of usage and terms proposed by the GLWA Board.
The GLWA services nearly 40% of Michigan’s water customers. Chesterfield Township’s drinking water comes from two sources: The Lake Huron Treatment Plant in Port Huron and directly from the city of Detroit.
During the public comments portion of the meeting, resident Paul Lafata brought up a water tower study previously conducted in the township. Kersten said discussions regarding a water tower have been “resurrected.”
“It’s probably something that this township is going to have to look into in the future,” the supervisor said.
