Work on the new Bay County Water Treatment plant is in full swing in Bangor Township.

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CONNECTION MADE: New Water Plant Hooked Up to Whitestone Line

June 8, 2014
By: Dave Rogers

The new $59.6 million Bay City water treatment plant has made a connection with the Saginaw-Midland Water Supply System on Lauria Road near Old Kawkawlin Road.

Although it won't be operational for a year, Road Commissioner Ed Rivet said the two systems are linked with twin 30 inch pipes running to the plant now under construction at Lauria and Euclid roads.

The connection will not be activated until the treatment plant is completed a year from now. "But we're ready to go when the plant is done," exclaimed Rivet.

Spence Brothers is the general contractor on the project that will, after half a century of indecision, finally bring Lake Huron water to nearly 38,000 customers in Bay City and area townships.

The new plant and Saginaw-Midland source from Lake Huron will replace the present source in Saginaw Bay that requires heavy treatment with chemicals to remove objectionable tastes and odor.

The 17.4 million gallons a day membrane treatment facility, with equipment from the German firm Siemens, now called Evoqua since its recent acquisition by AEA Investors, is slated for installation soon.

The SMMWSC agreement was reached February 21, 2013 with Bay County DWS and its customers, providing for furnishing up to 22 million gallons a day of raw water from Whitestone Point near AuGres.

Commissioner Rivet said the deal gives Bay County plenty of room for growth since the local system uses only about 7 million gallons a day at present.

The Bay Area Water Treatment Plant has an advisory committee with 14 partners, the townships of Bangor, Beaver, Frankenlust, Hampton, Merritt, Portsmouth, Fraser, Kawkawlin, Monitor and Williams plus the cities of Essexville, Bay City, and Pinconning and the Bay County Road Commission.

Also affiliated are the Bangor-Monitor Metropolitan Water District, the Beaver Road Water Association, the Kawkawlin Metropolitan District, the Wisner Township Water System and the Pinconning Township Water System.

The City of Bay City recently approved a connection to serve Akron Township with water.

The line to Whitestone Point serves both Saginaw and Midland, splitting off at a junction building on Three Mile Road next to the Monitor Township Hall.

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