The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt in every community and a group of local officials are looking at cutting costs wherever possible.
Four Wayne County municipalities; Livonia, Westland, Canton Township and Northville Township, are pursuing a study to determine the feasibility of buying water from the Great Lakes Water Authority in bulk in an effort to cut costs to residents.
Officials from the four communities have paid a total of $43,000 for a four-month study to determine the financial impact of buying water as a group and a means of storing the water purchased for distribution in their respective communities. The four communities would, in effect, form a consortium to buy the water in bulk, which should drive the costs down, officials said. The consortium would buy water at off-peak times when rates are lower and store it for distribution to residents, hopefully lowering current residential water rates.
Further action on forming the consortium will be dependent on the findings of the study. Officials are hopeful that the effort could result in savings next year. The effort, if pursued by the communities, would be called the Western Wayne Regional Water Authority.
Canton Township Supervisor Pat Williams said that he and the members of the board of trustees were excited to see the results of the study to determine the potential benefits to all the involved communities.
“This water-buying consortium is a great idea for our region,” he said. The storage of the purchased water is a consideration, officials agreed. To store the water, the communities would have to be adjacent. Plymouth Township, which currently borders all four of the communities proposing the consortium has not committed to joining the effort or working with the others.
Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise said he would like to see the other communities establish water storage facilities as the consortium as proposed could rely too heavily on the water tower in the township.
Northville Township Supervisor Robert Nix, however, is confident the plan will save money. He said he was confident the study would “provide tremendous long-term benefits to our communities.”
There is a potential to bring other communities into the consortium, too, if local officials opt to move forward with the plan.
Currently, Livonia residents pay $5.19 for every 750 gallons, Westland residents pay $4.42 per 1,000 gallons, Canton residents pay $6.23 per 1,000 gallons and Northville Township residents pay $6.53 per 1,000 gallons.
The consortium is an effort to reduce those rates, officials said.
“Westland is proud to be a partner in this innovative regional approach to leverage the combined purchasing power of our four communities to potentially lower the cost of delivering clean water to our residents and business owners,” Westland Mayor Bill Wild said.
Results of the four-month study are expected in February.
