MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, MI - The Nemoka Drain project is still underway in Meridian Township.

The paving of Shaw Street will now be administered by Meridian Township, rather than the Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s Office (ICDC). The rest of the pavement in the Nemoka subdivision will remain in the hands of the ICDC.

“Moving forward, construction will generally include four separate phases: grading the new gravel surface and installing the base (first) course of asphalt, installing the concrete trail with additional minor drainage improvements, installing the top (final) course of asphalt, and lastly, installing gravel shoulders along the edges of the new pavement and completing driveway and lawn restoration,” said the Meridian Township Department of Public Works.

The first layer of asphalt was put down in the last couple weeks.

The Meridian Township Department of Public works assures residents that work along Shaw street will not interfere with travel on most occasions, and in some cases single lane closure. Residents will be asked to not drive on the new asphalt until 1 hour after application to allow time for it to cool.

E. Short, a chemist from Spicer Group, and D. Solberg of ICDC traveled the Nemoka Drain site from the Lake Lansing/Potter intersection to the Lake Lansing/Shaw intersection to investigate a complaint regarding pollution entering Lake Lansing due to the project.

Two samples were taken, one from the runoff and one from the lake, and both tested normal.

According to Deputy Drain Commissioner Paul Pratt, further testing for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are indicators of the presence of hydrocarbons (fuel, oils, hydraulic fluids, etc.), was recently conducted. Results from those tests are expected to be available in the next few days.