MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - At the Township Board meeting on May 15, 2018, there were multiple items discussed including a private water system at Winslow Mobile Home Park.

Due to the fact that the mobile home park (which was recently sold to a new owner) operates on a private water system, it is required to contact Meridian Township and figure out whether or not the Township wants to control and operate its private water system.

"Our recommendation from the Department of Public Works and Engineering is to deny that request because it's not built to municipal standards," said Derek Perry, Assistant Township Manager and Director of Public Works & Engineering.

While there was discussion of moving this topic to an action item at the next Township Board meeting, Trustee Dan Opsommer motioned to "authorize the Meridian Township Director of Public Works and Engineering to deny the request to have the Meridian Township Department of Public Works own, operate or maintain the existing privately owned water system at the Winslow Mobile Home Park" so it would lighten the agenda at the next meeting.

The motion passed 7-0.

Supervisor Ronald Styka said private water systems aren't as common anymore and "they're very labor intensive for the person who runs them."

"They have to make sure they have all the right mixes in terms of the sanitation, and periodically check the water for contaminants and that sort of thing, whereas if you hook up into a public system, that's all going to be done by the municipality or the authority that runs the public system," Styka said. "You have a greater degree of assurance for the homeowner or others who are part of that public system than the local one. Even though the local people try hard, sometimes they miss things and it's better to be on the public [system] if you can."

Due to the fact that the Board denied this request, Perry said Winslow Mobile Home Park now has to contact the Department of Environmental Quality and work with them to permit the system.