Spring cleaning season is here, and the Water Street Redevelopment Area is no exception.
The Ypsilanti City Council's first of several tasks for the redevelopment of Water Street is a thorough Polychlorinated Biphenyl remediation. The PCB contamination of Water Street has been a major roadblock in the city's development of the area since its purchase in 1999.
In January 2026, the Ypsilanti City Council submitted an application for a United States Environmental Protection Agency grant for the PCB remediation. The Council has provided a timeline and budget for the grant, outlining how it will be used and what the coming years will look like for the PCB remediation.
The Water Street PCB grant timeline shows the tentative schedule of the PCB remediation. (Retrieved from the Ypsilanti Water Street marketing packet)
Recipients of the grant will be notified by the end of May 2026, and remediation efforts are set to begin in summer 2026. The grant will close out in December 2030.
The grant will overwhelmingly be used for cleanup activities, amounting to 94.8% of the $1.89 million grant. The remaining 5.2% of grant funds will be put toward cleanup planning, community engagement and grant administration.
The PCB grant budget shows how the funds will be used to clean up the Water Street area. (Retrieved from the Ypsilanti Water Street marketing packet)
At its Feb. 3, 2026 meeting, the Ypsilanti City Council passed a resolution designating the areas with the most concentrated PCB contamination as the targets for the 2026 cleanup.
"Following the Fall of 2025 DUR Storage Yard Excavation project, the City of Ypsilanti plans to continue cleanup and excavation throughout 2026 in the area designated as the Disposal Area," meeting records said.
The Water Street PCB contamination is concentrated in some areas more than others, as reflected in the cleanup target areas. (Retrieved from the Ypsilanti Water Street marketing packet)
Other target areas outlined in the meeting records are the former storage facility as well as the eastern and western marshes.
The City of Ypsilanti has contracted AKT Peerless, an environmental consultant and redevelopment company, to facilitate cleanup efforts.
"AKT Peerless appreciates the opportunity to present its proposal to conduct assessment activities with City of Ypsilanti’s Economic Development Initiative (EDI) assessment grant funding source, which is administered by United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD),” AKT Peerless wrote in a statement to the Ypsilanti City Council on Jan. 26, 2026.
The Second Water Street Request for Qualifications meeting is proposed to be held in April 2026, with Yodit Mesfin Johnson as its facilitator. Johnson was appointed by Ypsilanti City Council, having over 20 years of experience in the social sector.
For more information on Water Street, visit the City of Ypsilanti website.
