Construction of Planned Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Starting Soon

Genoa Charter Township wishes to inform residents of the upcoming start of construction for the Consolidation of the Oak Pointe Wastewater Treatment Plant with the Genoa Oceola Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project is the culmination of many years of planning, public information meetings, citizen advisory groups, and engineering studies. The project consists of three phases:

Phase 1: Upgrades to the existing Genoa Oceola Wastewater Treatment (WWTP) to accept the flow from Oak Pointe

Phase 2: The installation of just under 5 miles of force main along Chilson Road

Phase 3: Conversion of the existing Oak Pointe Wastewater Treatment Plant to a pump station

Construction Schedule

The projected construction schedule is outlined below:

Upgrades at the Genoa-Oceola WWTP: August 2014 - April 2015

Installation of 5 miles of Force Main along Chilson Road: September 2014 - December 2014

Conversion of Oak Pointe WWTP to a pump station: April 2015 - August 2015

For additional information and background on this project, please see the related document on the right hand side of this page

Debt Fee Structure

To fund the design, legal, financial advisor and construction costs associated with this project, the Township sold Capital Improvement Bonds for $6,000,000 in July 2014. We received very favorable interest rates (3.4%) for the 22 year term of the bond.

The debt repayment method for this project will be via a new debt charge on the quarterly sewer bill. This will be added as a mixture of a flat rate and metered portion, as requested by numerous citizens.

For more information on the rates and to see a sample bill see the September 2014 Brochure on the right hand side of this page.

Why Is This Project Needed?

• The existing treatment technology at the Oak
Pointe plant is antiquated
• There are continuing numerous regulatory violations, primarily associated with sodium and chloride
• This project will remove a source of groundwater contamination impacting residents downstream of the plant
• The existing plant discharges to groundwater,
which has increasing environmental regulations, and is a potential liability for existing customers

Additional Benefits

• This project will consolidate 2 wastewater treatment plants into one, which has support from the State and will reduce energy and chemical usage.
• Residents no longer have to use potassium chloride for water softeners, resulting in a savings of
$200-$400/year, depending on the amount water used and the individual water softener settings. Residents can stop using potassium chloride in approximately February 2015.