LANSING – State Representative Doug Bennett (D-Muskegon) today announced the allocation of $2.5 million from the Department of Environmental Quality to extend municipal water to residents in Laketon Township.
"Public safety and public health are top priorities," Bennett said. "Many of our residents' wells have been contaminated due to activities at the Laketon Oil Field and these funds will ensure our citizens are getting clean and safe drinking water."
Activities at the Laketon Oil Field have caused oil and brine contamination in the soil and groundwater, according to a statement released today by the DEQ. Cleanup actions are in progress at the oil field, however, groundwater contamination has migrated to the Green Ridge Subdivision in Laketon Township, where monitoring has identified more than 50 residential drinking water wells are being affected by the contamination.
The DEQ today announced that it has allocated $2.5 million to extend the township's municipal water main to the entrance of the subdivision. The allocated funds will be used to construct the water main within the subdivision, connect the affected properties, and plug the existing wells.