The Utilities department is under the direction of the Public Works Director, William Dooley, P.E. and includes the Drinking Water Treatment Plant, the Clean Water Plant, the Meter Shop and the Utility Business Office. These facilities and offices are staffed by dedicated professionals including licensed plant operators, maintenance and laboratory personnel, industrial monitors, inspectors, and administrative staff. The plants are staffed 24 hours a day, every day, to safeguard our community water supply system and our environment.
Emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. To request emergency water turn-off due to a meter leak, water main break or fire hydrant leak, call 616.530.7389 during normal business hours. After 5:00 PM or on weekends and holiday's, please call 616.530.7260.
Clean Water – Around the Clock Wastewater Treatment Service
Our “Clean Water” Plant produces water that meets or exceeds regulatory standards. In late 2007, the Clean Water Plant completed a 36 million dollar expansion project known as Stage II, which included upgrades to existing process equipment, new odor control systems, the removal of trickling filters, and construction of new aeration tanks and clarifiers. This latest project has resulted in the expanded treatment capacity of 24 million gallons of water per day.
The Plant currently serves 140,000 people. Wastewater from Wyoming and four surrounding communities is treated, cleaned and discharged to the Grand River. The material recovered from the water is used as fertilizer on area farms.
The water treated in our Clean Water Plant is not used for drinking water. Our drinking water is drawn from a supply of natural or clean water and then treated further to make it safe for drinking.
What is Clean Water?
We produce clean water by treating the water which comes from residential and business use in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms as well as water used in factories for food production, washing and rinsing in various manufacturing facilities and all other human activities where water is flushed down sanitary sewer drains. This water enters our plant and is cleaned as it moves through our plant processes and is finally sent to the Grand River. We are very proud of the quality of the water we produce and of overall improvements to our nation's waterways since the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972. This is why our facility is called the Clean Water Plant rather than a wastewater or sewage plant.
Drinking Water – Our Most Valuable Resource
Drinking water is water drawn from a supply of natural water such as a lake, river or underground aquifer and then treated further to make it safe for drinking. Our plant has been utilizing Lake Michigan as our water source since 1966. Since then, our water treatment capacity has grown from 32 million gallons per day to 90 million gallons per day. Plant improvements have occurred over the years to accommodate continued growth in the region. As changes in our region occur, the Drinking Water Plant will evolve to support one of our most valuable assets: drinking water.