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Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) is a local municipal water provider. Living in the community that we serve makes you more than a customer of our utility – you are also an owner. We serve water to the City of Holland and to many residents in the surrounding Townships.
Serving the community is HBPW’s top priority. HBPW invests in maintaining high water quality and safe drinking water. Every dollar that we receive is invested back into the community.
As a municipal water provider, HBPW maintains local control, low rates and high reliability. Local governance gives community citizens a direct voice in our decisions and policy-making.
Reliable & Affordable
Holland Board of Public measures the reliability of our water service by tracking the number of water main breaks. Throughout our 240-mile-long water main system, HBPW is proud to experience very few breaks. Quality materials and installation practices ensure that our water system is built to last. Holland BPW maintains competitive rates while investing in infrastructure to replace aging water mains, valves and hydrants.
Water Conservation
Water is a precious resource no matter where you live in the world. Holland has an excellent source of fresh water from Lake Michigan, which should not be taken for granted. Holland BPW strives to be an exemplary steward of the resources entrusted to it, and to operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. We are committed to working alongside our community to promote best management practices and conservation of our abundant natural resources here in West Michigan.
Why do we need to conserve water in West Michigan?
Holland Board of Public Works is dedicated to providing our community with reliable and affordable utility services. Efficient management of our resources helps us keep water rates competitive and we need your help!
The Water Treatment Plant, although connected to Lake Michigan, has a current maximum treatment capacity of 38.5 million gallons per day. On an average day throughout the year, we treat ~ 13 million gallons per day. There are a few days each summer that we experience peak usage, reaching close to 30 million gallons per day or more. During stretches of high heat and a lack of rain that last several days, the Water Treatment Plant can come close to its maximum treatment capacity. A major contribution to excessive water usage is lawn sprinkling. Holland BPW asks that customers limit or forgo lawn sprinkling during periods of time like these to maintain access to drinking water for more important uses.
If Holland BPW exceeds 90% of the State of Michigan mandated threshold of our Water Treatment Plant, we will need to begin to investigate additional investments in new infrastructure to increase our treatment capacity, which can be very costly for the infrequent need of the increased capacity. Holland Board of Public Works is confident that the Water Treatment Plant is appropriately sized for our area of service and is dedicated to bringing the best value to our customers. Maintaining the current size of the Water Treatment Plant, or making smaller incremental changes to treatment capacity, is the best option for our customers.
What happens when our community’s peak water usage increases?
Water Use Reduction Plan
Holland BPW has a four-stage Water Use Reduction Plan that empowers customers to make a difference and curtail water usage.
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Public Awareness - The first step is Public Awareness, open communication about the potential high water usage issue and requesting that customers limit usage voluntarily.
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Odd-Even Lawn Sprinkling - If the community’s water usage continues to increase, we will implement an odd-even sprinkling schedule. All customers whose addresses end in an odd number will be allowed to sprinkle any time only on odd-numbered dates; customers with even-number addresses may sprinkle any time only on even-numbered dates. This action is intended to reduce the peak usage of water from the system.
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Odd-Even Lawn Sprinkling Midnight to Noon - The third stage is also odd/even sprinkling, but only from the hours of midnight to noon. All sprinkling, regardless of address, will be prohibited from noon to midnight. This action also helps reduce peak usage by shifting usage to normal times of lower usage of the system.
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Total Ban of Sprinkling and Non-essential Water Use - The fourth stage is a total ban on sprinkling and non-essential use of water.
HOW IT WORKS & MORE
Water Quality
Holland Board of Public Works is proud to provide healthy, quality water to our community. We have the natural advantage of sourcing our water from a large body of water, Lake Michigan.
Holland BPW publishes an annual Water Quality Report. This report publishes the results of on-going water testing to keep customers informed about the water received from us.
Safe Drinking Water
Holland Board of Public works is determined to provide reliable, safe drinking water for our community. Legislation is put in place to protect our water. Following and enforcing these laws is important to keeping our drinking water safe. Providing education also plays an important role.
Lake Michigan Temperature
The temperature of our water source, Lake Michigan, affects the attributes of the water that flows through Holland BPW’s distribution system. During extended periods of warm Lake Michigan temperatures, the taste and smell of the water can change. It might be described as earthy, due to the biology of the water. When this natural phenomenon occurs, the water that reaches your tap is still safe to drink and touch.
Skilled Holland BPW technicians monitor the water entering the system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We follow EPA and EGLE guidelines to ensure safe drinking water for our community. The results of our testing are published in our Water Quality Report.
While we have regulated processes in place to ensure the water system is safe, if you have any questions about your water, please contact us. You can reach the water department directly at watersewer@hollandbpw.com.
For more detail on water quality measures regarding lead awareness, polybutylene services and cross connections, select the corresponding link below.