The Holland Board of Public Works is a municipal utility in Holland, Michigan

Holland, Michigan

Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....

  It provides electrical power, drinking water, and wastewater treatment. Its service area includes the city of Holland and parts of Park Township

Park Township, Ottawa County, Michigan

Park Township is a civil township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 17,579. As of 2006 the population was 18,351.-Communities:...

, Holland Charter Township

Holland Charter Township, Michigan

Holland Charter Township is a charter township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was at the 42,299 2010 census.The City of Holland is adjacent to the south and is administratively autonomous.- Geography :...

, Fillmore Township

Fillmore Township, Michigan

Fillmore Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,756 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population was at 2,838.The City of Holland is at the northwest corner of the township.-Geography:...

 and Laketown Township

Laketown Township, Michigan

Laketown Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,561 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population was at 5,994.-Communities:...

.

Electrical Generation

Electrical production began in 1893.

The current power plant, the James DeYoung, consists of three active units. Units 3, 4 and 5 range in capacity from 11 to 29.5 megawatts. They have a combined capacity of 60 megawatts. Units 1 and 2 are no longer in service. Coal delivered by boat is the plant's fuel source.

A 22 megawatt oil burning unit was built on Sixth Street in 1973.

In 1992, two peaking units were installed in the southside industrial park. Located on M-40

M-40 (Michigan highway)

M-40 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway runs from US Highway 12 near the Indiana state line in Porter Township north through Paw Paw and Allegan to end in the outskirts of Holland...

 near the headquarters of office furniture manufacturer Haworth

Haworth

Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...

, each provides 34 megawatts of power and can burn natural gas or fuel oil. A 74 megawatt unit installed in 2000 burns natural gas only.

The BPW also owns shares in Consumers Energy

Consumers Energy

Consumers Energy is a public utility that provides natural gas and electricity to more than 6 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state’s Lower Peninsula counties. It is a division of CMS Energy. Its headquarters is in Jackson.-History:The company was...

's JH Campbell Unit 3 and Detroit Edison

Detroit Edison

The Detroit Edison Company, founded in 1903, is an investor-owned electric utility which serves most of Southeast Michigan. Its parent company, DTE Energy , provides energy services to a variety of clients beyond Detroit Edison's service area.- History :...

's Belle River Power Plant

Belle River Power Plant

Belle River Power Plant is a major coal- and natural gas-fired power plant owned by Detroit Edison, a subsidiary of DTE Energy. It is located in St. Clair County, Michigan, on the peninsula formed by the St. Clair and Belle rivers. The plant was built across M-29 from the St. Clair Power Plant in...

; power generated at these two plants is used to supplement power produced at the BPW's own facilities.

Water Filtration

Water from Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 is filtered at a facility in Park Township on the city's northside. The plant has a capacity of 38.5 million gallons per day. 230 miles (370.1 km) of pipe provide water to the City of Holland and portions of three neighboring townships (Park, Laketown and Holland Charter). There are four storage tanks and five pumping stations within the system.

Expansion has been considered by building a new plant south of the city near Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Saugatuck Dunes State Park is a 1,120 acre Michigan state park. It is located on Lake Michigan between Saugatuck and Holland in Allegan County, Michigan....

.

Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater is treated at a facility on Lake Macatawa

Lake Macatawa

Lake Macatawa is a lake in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is about long with a maximum width of and a surface area of 1,700 acres The average depth of the lake is variable but generally less than , excluding a navigation channel of fixed depth that crosses the lake to...

near the BPW's James DeYoung power plant. The plant spans both sides of River Avenue. Over 180 miles (289.7 km) of pipe and 36 lift stations are used on pipes up to 36 inches (914.4 mm) in diameter. Wastewater is collected from the City of Holland and portions of neighboring townships (Park, Laketown, Fillmore and Holland Charter).