Bringing Clean Water to Covert Township, Michigan

Covert Township runs along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the southwest corner of Michigan, in Van Buren County. An initial project in 1998 connected the township to the City of South Haven’s water supply, and included a booster pump station and an elevated storage tank for serving the area’s water needs.

After the 1997-98 project was completed, citizens continued to express concern to the Township Board about the quality of groundwater in other areas of the Township. In 2001, the Township held a citizen planning session to evaluate future goals for the Township, and good quality water was #1 on the list.

The Water Master Plan was then revised by CCJM to extend water to all the populated areas of the Township. Approximately 60 miles of water main were proposed for construction in the Township, with an estimated project cost of $15 million.

A Tax Millage was placed on the ballot in November 2001, and passed by a two-thirds margin. The Township then contracted with Van Buren County to sell bonds to finance the project. Design was started in November 2001. The first contracts under the Bond issue, C and D, were awarded in the spring of 2002, and included approximately 21 miles of water mains. The 2003 construction Contracts E, F, and G will include approximately 30 miles of water mains, with 9 miles left for construction in 2004.

Covert Township also completed the design and construction of two other projects in early 2002 to provide water to the new PG&E power plant, Covert Generating, and to Van Buren State Park. The projects were financed by a combination of State grants and private financing.