Legacy Park water tower could help lower water rates

    The new Northville Township water tower in Legacy Park is now fully operational and is providing critical data to officials regarding water use in the township.

    The data will be used to determine the rate paid to Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), the water provider for the community. In addition to redundancy and pressure stability, the 500,000-gallon water tower lowers the water demands during peak-use periods, normally in the morning and evening. Officials said the demand is reduced by filling the water tower at night — or off peak — particularly during the high-demand summer season. It takes approximately five hours to fill the tank.
    “By showing GWLA that we did lower our demand during peak-use times, hopefully we can negotiate a better water rate after the proving period is complete,” explained Public Services Director Bob Belair.
    He explained that following the township irrigation restrictions when using the public water system is an important factor. The extra effort by system users also helps reduce the demands during peak times. Township residents may only water their lawn between midnight to 6 a.m. on odd or even dates, which coordinate with their odd or even number address.
    “By watering at night, we all work together to keep our peak usage in check and that will keep water rates from rising more quickly than necessary,” Belair said.
    The total cost to build the tower was $8 million. Officials said that cost is expected to be recouped within the next five to seven years because of the stabilization of demands and lower wholesale rates.
    “This project has been in the planning stages for many years, so it’s great to see it operating so well, helping our residents out,” Belair said.