Public Utilities often hide - underground!  Be sure you remember to call 811 or go on the website at www.missdig.org BEFORE you dig for that new water or sewer line connection.  Miss Dig's a free service -- utilities will be marked in advance to prevent damage, expense, and in some cases (really: great bodily harm or death!!).  Really, do you want to crack a gas line with a metal shovel??!?  So, call.

Meanwhile, here's some additional information about public utilities:

State statute allows residents to petition the Township Board to provide public utilities by establishing a special assessment district. This would allow the project costs to be assessed to the property owners in that district – the ones who would benefit from those public utilities. Upon receipt of a petition, the Board determines whether the project is necessary, determines the project boundaries, and estimates the total project cost as well as the exact cost to be assessed to each property. Two public hearings are afforded the owners within the district, allowing residents to continue or to withdraw the request.

Township Ordinance allows the property owners’ costs for connection to utilities to be spread over a ten or fifteen year period of time. These are then billed on the winter tax bill.

This works out well here in Pere Marquette Township, because our Treasurer Sara McCallum is also our Water/Sewer Administrator.  She can explain to you the cost for a connection and how that is calculated.  She'll also be able to explain how the payment plan works (if you chose that) and what amount to expect on your winter tax bill.

WATER -- The current water connection cost for a single family residential customer with 100 feet of property frontage and not included in a special assessment district, is $3,675.00 (one-inch tap size).  

SEWER -- The current sewer connection cost for a single family residential customer with 100 feet of property frontage and not included in a special assessment district, is $6,200.00.

Water/sewer bills are sent out by the Treasurer's office quarterly in October, January, April, and July.  They are due by the 15th of the following month.  Mail payment to the Water and Sewer Department, Pere Marquette Townhall, 1699 S. Pere Marquette Hwy., Ludington, MI, 49431.  Payment may also be made at the Treasurer's office in the Townhall, and now you can pay on-line!  (Go to Utility Billing, look up your account, and scroll down to the "Pay Online" button, located on the right-hand side of the screen.) 

If you would like more information regarding the current locations of public utilities or how to petition, please call our Water-Sewer Administrator, Sara McCallum at the Township offices, 845-1278/ Sara@pmtwp.org or the Water/Sewer Department at 845-7640/ DPW@pmtwp.org.

Every year, meeting strict deadlines, the Water Department must present its Annual Water Quality Reports to the State of Michigan.  These in-depth reports cover all sorts of things -- like where the water comes from and how it's processed, how much and what kind of impurities may have been found in the water, levels of minerals, whether there were any significant problems during the year, etc.  The same reports are also available to consumers by stopping by the Townhall, or by clicking on the highlighted links here on our website.