MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Township's are going to pay higher fees for groundwater discharges than campgrounds and other facilities in a new groundwater bill that passed in the Senate this week, according to a press release written by the Michigan Townships Association.

Derek Perry, Meridian Township's Assistant Township Manager and the Director of Public Works and Engineering, says the bill is headed to the House of Representatives for a review.

"I would expect that, at some point, this bill will pass. It's pertaining to the fees that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) charges for these groundwater discharge fees," he said.

According to Perry those fees follow a certain mathematic formula and are based on population and need to follow this specific process due to statutory law.

He also added that this is how the Department of Environmental Quality can pay for their regulatory ability to insure that things are being done correctly.

Perry says he believes the bill will pass because the current fee structure is going to expire.

He also said that the bill would have a very little impact on the township, though these kinds of regulations would impact the taxes the residents of Meridian Township pay.

"If it impacts a municipality, ultimately that means it impacts the taxpayers or the ratepayers. So any impact with fees as they get increased get passed along ultimately to the users," Perry said.

Senator Mike Green from Fremont Township sponsored the bill which passed in the Senate and is now going to be reviewed by the House of Representatives.