Five years after contaminated water in Flint became a national news story, Michigan’s governor announced a huge infrastructure bill to address water quality on several levels.
With a combination of federal money, borrowing and a one-time appropriation, the state will invest $500 million in water infrastructure. Of that amount, $35 million will be marked for low-interest loans to homeowners and communities to replace or eliminate failing onsite systems, news reports said. About 30% of Michigan homes use onsite systems.
Among other expenditures, the project would also spend $207 million on work such as replacing lead service lines in disadvantaged communities
