Bedford Township Asset Management Plan

In 2014, Bedford Township was awarded a $932,942 grant as part of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)’s Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater (SAW) program initiative.

The SAW program provides grant money for the development of plans to identify and manage stormwater and/or wastewater assets, stormwater treatment management plans, planning and design of sewage, stormwater, or nonpoint source pollution reduction projects, and the testing and demonstration of innovative water quality improvement projects. The goal of the program is to accelerate the statewide use of asset management practices that improve Michigan’s water quality and public health.

Spicer Group assisted Bedford Township officials with applying for and the administration of the SAW grant, and is developing the township’s Wastewater Asset Management Plan. The township’s wastewater treatment plant and collection system was originally built in the 1970’s and has had several upgrades since.

The asset management work includes developing an inventory of the wastewater assets owned by the township, and determining the state and condition of those assets with researching existing information, on-site inspections, smoke-testing, and the televising of pipes. More than 3,000 manholes were inspected, and 285 pipe segments were televised. Also, 30 percent of the system was smoke tested. The condition of all of the assets was rated, along with the criticality of each of the assets, and working with Bedford Township officials, a level of service for the wastewater system was determined.

A GIS database for the system was also created and handed over to the township to assist with the asset management. Spicer Group will develop a plan for the city on how to maintain and improve their system for the future, and developed a revenue structure to implement a capital improvement project plan to do that.