Chesterfield Township has secured $750,000 in federal funding to help rehabilitate the Chesterfield Interceptor. (Katelyn Larese — MediaNews Group)
Chesterfield Township has secured additional government funding to help revitalize a crucial piece of infrastructure in the community.
Supervisor Brad Kersten said $750,000 in federal dollars has been earmarked for rehabilitation of the Chesterfield Interceptor, which is in need of critical repair.
“The pipe runs from 25 and 1/2 mile all the way down to Hall Road and it connects to the larger Detroit system, so it’s a main artery of sewage flow for Chesterfield Township,” Kersten said, noting the area is also seeing growth.
The community development grant funds were secured by Congresswoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who represents Michigan’s Ninth District.
“The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because this project protects the environment from sewage draining into Lake Saint Clair shall the interceptor collapse,” McClain wrote in a March 2023 request for funding. “Additionally, this project protects residents from having their basements flood with sewage and keeps motorists safe in the event the interceptor fails or collapses forming a sink hole.”
The supplement follows $5 million in state funding secured for the project by state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, who represents Michigan’s 12th District. The funding was approved as a grant within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy budget.
Full rehabilitation of the 27-inch reinforced concrete pipe is estimated to cost about $11 million. Kersten said he anticipated at least 90% of the total cost will be covered by state and federal dollars. The second supplement gets the project to the second of three phases.
“My hope is by the end of 2025 it’s done and complete, and very little community dollars go into it,” the supervisor said.
The township took ownership of the Chesterfield Interceptor from Macomb County last year and is responsible for operation and maintenance of the pipe, which was originally constructed in the 1980s.
Northeast Sanitary Sewer
Construction of the Northeast Sanitary Sewer is also underway. The new sanitary sewer will serve the northeast area of the township between 25 Mile and 26 Mile roads, east of Interstate 94.
The area is currently under development and without sewer. Extending service will stop users from having to treat sewage on-site and discharge into township drains and Lake St. Clair, Kersten said.
“It’s been a challenge because to get to 26 Mile Road we’re passing through areas of undeveloped farmland, and it’s a development that’s away from our network,” he added.
Ascension St. John Hospital Health Center opened a new facility on 26 Mile Road last year and is already looking to expand, Kersten said.
Additional developments are also being proposed.
“Whatever that hospital brings with them is now coming also — doctors, professional offices, service buildings, restaurants are all planned for that area,” the supervisor said.
The budget for the Northeast Sanitary Sewer project is estimated at nearly $6 million, which will be paid with capital improvement bond funds. The bond funds will be repaid through the water and sewer department, officials previously said.
Construction is scheduled to be substantially complete in the coming months. Project construction was 50% complete as of March 1, according to the township’s March “Progress at a Glance” report.
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