KINGSFORD — The city of Kingsford will have an utility rate study conducted that could result in increases to water bills.

The city plans to complete three water main and service line replacement projects by 2027 as part of its effort to comply with a state mandate to replace lead pipes. The city must have all its lead pipes replaced by 2038.

“We are still waiting to see how the city will land on funding of project number 3, to address any additional rate increases regarding any possible funding needs for this project,” City Manager Mike Stelmaszek said.

Once the three projects are completed, the city will have about 60% of its service lines replaced along with 66,000 feet of water mains. The city has about 132,000 feet of 100-year-old, undersized water distribution system piping.

“Upon completion of project number 3 in 2027, the city will have eliminated about 50 percent of this undersized, high risk for failure piping, with six-inch or eight-inch, corrosive-resistant ductile iron water mains, decreasing the city’s water loss rate while increasing flow rate,” Stelmaszek said.

The first project is slated to begin Monday, April 1, in Kingsford Heights, with Payne and Dolan of Gladstone as the contractor. It will replace 244 service lines with 1-inch copper lines and 13,000 feet of the 100-year-old 2-inch and 4-inch water mains.

There will also be new curbing, sidewalks and paving. Using Local Street fund money, the city plans to replace the cross streets within the project area.

The project will cost about $8.4 million. The city has received a 40-year, low-interest State Revolving Fund Loan for $5,310,000, with $1,166,200 in principal forgiveness. Other funding comes from grants. The work is slated to be completed this year.

The second project in the Heights/Ford Addition would replace 23,000 feet of water mains and 343 residential access lines. The $13.5 million project is expected to start in 2025 and be completed in 2026.

A portion of this project would tie into project No. 3. The city received a $6,710,500 State Revolving Fund Loan with $2,184,910 in principal forgiveness, but is still trying to secure additional funding.

The third project, in the Breitung/Ford Addition area, is still in the planning stages and is similar in scope to the second project in replacing water mains and residential access lines.

The second portion of this $28 million improvement plan is a Clean Water State Revolving Fund sewer project, which includes the replacement of two lift stations on Bancroft Street with the installation of a gravity-fed system from Bancroft to attach to the sewer grid on Woodward Avenue near North Pyle Drive.

It would replace most of the sewer grid in the Ford Addition. This project has a planned start of spring 2026. The portion of the project will overlap the Ford Addition section of project No. 2.

The city’s last sewer water separation project is due to be paid off this year, Stelmaszek said. The city is also looking for ways to increase money in the sewer fund for future projects.