Long Timeline for Nishuane Well, Officials Say

The council is in an “information gathering phase” with regards to the Nishuane Park water well project in the 4th Ward, officials said during a community meeting this week. 

“We need to look at our need for water, our usage of water and what are the concerns people have regarding this pumping station, how do we balance the two and make an informed decision,” Third Ward Councilor Sean Spiller said at a Wednesday night meeting that included Mayor Robert Jackson and Superintendent Penny MacCormack. 

The township gets about 80 percent of its water from reservoirs, which Jackson said was “not a healthy number.” For safety and sustainability purposes, Jackson suggested scaling the percent of water the township gets from reservoirs to 50 percent, which a well in Nishuane Park would help do.  

A few residents at Wednesday’s meeting cited environmental impacts and loss of parkland in their opposition to the plan that could place a water pumping station on half an acre of land in Nishuane Park. 

The water well project, said one resident, “will put a stake in the heart of that community” if it is approved. 

The township is currently compiling answers to the questions asked at two public meetings in January by residents who resolutely rejected the plan.

Spiller and Jackson both said the project’s fate is not determined and could take up to 18 months before any decision is made. 

“This has been ongoing since the 80s,” said Spiller about the well project, “so this is not something we are going to solve in months or probably years.”