GREENLAND TOWNSHIP, MI— The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has found the water source for two homes and an unregulated spigot in Ontonagon County’s Greenland Township.
Earlier this summer, officials found a 3-inch pipe that was carrying the water. They followed it and discovered a wellhead about a half-mile from the spigot, east of M-38 at the former mining town of Lake Mine.
The buried pipe was surrounded by wooden boards that helped to stabilize the pipe casing. Officials from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy say it’s likely tapped into an underground artesian flow.
An EGLE official says the piping is too fragile for continued use. It’s also only a foot underground in some places. Most water piping in the U.P. is placed seven feet underground to prevent frost from reaching it.
The DNR says it will consult a well-drilling company in hopes of finding a place to sink a well closer to the homes and spigot and provide a safe source of drinking water.
