Long Lake is full of water, but residents along the lake are about to get a whole lot more.
Plans are now being prepared to extend close to 10,000 feet of water main along the eastern side of Lapeer Rd, the south side of Indian Lake Rd, and then into the subdivisions of Long Lake Woods and the Estates of Long Lake.
Presently relying on iron-rich well water, Long Lake residents are pleased to have city water come through. In addition to clean Lake St. Clair water, Long Lake residents will receive the fire protection that only fire hydrants can provide. But there’s another benefit, one we all hope to never see.
‘Part of the motivation is that we’re looking for an emergency connection with neighboring communities and since Oxford has a different source, it’s logical that we have a connection to help in case of an emergency,? said Ireland. Should electricity and connected Detroit pumps go offline, Orion will have recourse to water from their neighbors to the north.
Limited at present to Long Lake Woods and the Estates of Long Lake, additional easements will be procured in the future to extend the water main into neighboring subdivisions. When the construction project breaks ground in the spring, it is possible Indian Ridge would be included, Public Works Director Bill Ireland said.
The water extension was authorized by the Orion Twp Board over a year and a half ago. Finding a subdivision to welcome the invasive extension project proved to be a challenge, however. But thanks to the efforts of their Home Owners Association, over 95 percent of Long Lake residents requested the water extension.
Thus informed, the Orion Township Board granted a contract to Orchard, Hiltz and McCliment, Inc. (OHM) to prepare the plans and specification required for the extension. Cost for the preparatory survey is anticipated at $137,000. When complete, OHM will return to the Board for bid proposal authorization.
Total cost for the entire water main extension project is estimated to be $1.64 million. This money will come from ‘funds we presently have available for water main improvement and extension. There will be no additional costs to residents,? Ireland promised.
For further information on the water main extension into Long Lake Woods, contact the Orion Department of Public Works at 248-391-0304 ext. 118.