Nottawa sewer project reaches Coldwater Lake

May 30, 2023

A sanitary sewer project in Isabella County that started in Beal City is moving into a second phase.

Nottawa Township officials last week sent notices to property owners around Coldwater Lake with a list of questions and answers about the project, along with easement documents that must be signed, witnessed by a notary public and returned by May 31.

With roughly 95 percent of Beal City property owners hooked up to the system that pumps waste water to Mt. Pleasant's treatment plant, the project is moving west and south to the lake area in an effort to reduce the amount of sewage run-off into Wagner Creek, which eventually runs in to the Chippewa River.

Nottawa Township Supervisor Kory Mindel said the few Beal City properties that are currently not connected will be in the near future.

Easements are needed for the installation of sewer mains and grinder stations that contain electric pumps within street rights-of-way that are not owned by Isabella County and are on private property, according to Nottawa Township officials.

Notices sent to property owners around Coldwater Lake referred to a meeting of the Coldwater Lake Property Owners Association in the Hofbauer Pavilion at Coldwater Lake Family Park on North Littlefield Road at 11 a.m. Saturday, where Kim Turner, a notary public representing Nottawa Township will be on hand to witness signatures and collect signed easement documents.

Turner will also be available to witness and sign easement acquisition documents by appointment at (517) 388-2267, or any notary public at local banks and credit unions can also witness the signing of the documents.

Questions about the project from affected property owners can also be emailed to [email protected].

In addition to protecting the river, the sewer system will reduce risks of septic backup, foul odors, eliminate dampness and/or seepage from septic tank systems, improve the protection of drinking and surface water, and a reduction in nitrates often found in local water supplies from improperly treated sewage that will benefit infants, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, according to township officials.

It will also reduce the risks to public health from diseases such as hepatitis or dysentery, and will reduce the number of disease-carrying mosquitoes and flies.

Property owners will be responsible for connecting to the system from their homes to the grinder station, and Nottawa Township is providing a list of contractors that are approved to do the work.

Anyone with electric service that is not sufficient to run the pumps will be required to get upgraded service.

Once the sewer is completed, existing septic tanks will be removed, or crushed and filled.

Drain fields will be abandoned in place or removed by contractors who are connecting residences to the public system, according to township officials.

While garage and vacant lots are not required to connect to the system, seasonal and year-round residences must connect within 90 days of notice, and property owners must pay an estimated $12,000 to $16,000 to "buy in" to the public system to be paid through a 40-year special assessment, and through monthly rates and charges, according to township officials.

Monthly rates and charges will also include the cost to operate the system, and are currently estimated to be about $75 a month, which is paid regardless of seasonal, infrequent or limited use of the property.

Actual costs can't be provided until the project is bid out.

Construction is expected to begin on the Coldwater Lake phase of the project in the spring of 2024 and will continue roughly two construction seasons.

Runoff from Beal City properties is believed to be the cause of the annual high levels of E. Coli in the river, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy ordered the township to build a sewer.

The sewer system flows east from Beal City and eventually south into Mt. Pleasant.

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