PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Plainfield Avenue isn't the only thing folks in the Northview neighborhood are talking about. There's a proposal to change the township's water rates.
Judging from what residents are posting on social media, some Plainfield Township folks are upset.
"With growth and demand and hot, dry summers, we're seeing our peak demand rise to the point where it's pressing our capacity to serve our residents with all the water that they are asking for, and so we are looking for ways to encourage some conservation," said Cameron Van Wyngarden, township superintendent.
Van Wyngarden said the township faces a water capacity crisis driven by several factors: loss of a primary group of wells field due to PFAS contamination, increased summer irrigation demand, and continued growth in both Plainfield and neighboring Alpine townships served by the system.
Conversation about the proposed changes isn't hard to find, especially in Plainfield Facebook community groups.
One Facebook commenter asked: "Why don't we just get water from Lake Michigan like everyone else?"
Van Wyngarden's response addresses the cost reality: "We are exploring all options and alternatives may include connecting to another system. However, the costs of that are also substantial. So connecting to a different water system would mean a substantial transmission main to connect the systems together, and again, we're into the tens of millions of dollars just for that type of infrastructure."
Another expressed concern: "All members of this township should be charged the same rate and pay according to use."
"We're implementing a tiered rate system that recognizes those who are sensitive to their water usage aren't being penalized like those who are not sensitive to their water usage," Van Wyngarden explained.
The data reveals the scope of the issue: The top 10% of water users consume roughly 40% of the water during peak demand periods.
Some residents question why the township allows continued growth while facing water supply challenges. Van Wyngarden said communities that stop growing "start dying," adding that "communities that haven't grown start to have disinvestment into their own infrastructure to the point where the current residents can't even afford the infrastructure that's there because there just isn't growth to support it."
Without conservation measures, the township faces a plant expansion within 10 years at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. The tiered rate structure aims to extend that timeline by reducing peak summer demand.
"We're trying to get ahead of that being very proactive," Van Wyngarden said, noting that water infrastructure inflation has reached 150% in some areas, far outpacing general inflation.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is Monday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. at Plainfield Township Hall, 6161 Belmont Avenue NE.
A final decision is expected by the end of the year.
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