The document discusses advocacy efforts to improve water quality in Detroit and reduce discharges into Lake Erie from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department treatment facility. It outlines the issues with combined sewer overflows during heavy rains and the negative impacts on water quality. The Alliance for the Great Lakes and other groups worked with regulators to modify the facility's permit to require improved sewage treatment, green infrastructure programs, and lower phosphorus discharges. The revised permit achieved these goals.

1. Advoca=ng
Water
Quality
Improvement
in
Detroit—
Great
Lakes
impact
September
11,
2013
Lyman
Welch
Water
Quality
Program
Director
lwelch@greatlakes.org

2. Combined
Sewer
Overflow
• Sewage
and
storm
runoff
flow
together
in
a
single
pipe
to
the
treatment
plant
• Increased
volume
from
heavy
rains
causes
overflows,
CSOs
• Raw
sewage,
trash,
toxic
industrial
waste
and
other
pollutants
are
discharged
to
the
Great
Lakes
and
its
tributaries
without
treatment.
• Built
at
the
end
of
19th
century,
and
common
around
the
Great
Lakes

3. Detroit
Water
and
Sewer
Department
Treatment
Facility
Detroit,
Michigan

4. NPDES
Permit
Reissuance
Detroit
Water
and
Sewage
Department
(DWSD)
Detroit,
Michigan
2011
Lake
Erie
Contaminants
:
• 3.2
billion
gallons
of
diluted
raw
sewage
• 4.3
billion
gallons
of
par=ally
treated
sewage
• 1.2
million
pounds
of
phosphorus

5. Alliance
Policy
Efforts
§ Working
closely
with
USEPA
and
DEQ
agency
staff
§ Recommending
science-­‐based
permit
revisions
consistent
with
na=onal
policy
and
local
condi=ons
in
Detroit

6. Detroit’s
Financial
Situa=on
• City
filed
for
Chapter
9
Bankruptcy
on
July
18,
2013
• City
had
been
dealing
with
a
worsening
financial
condi=on
for
years
• Permit
reduced
CSO
infrastructure
requirements
in
2013-­‐2019
period.
• Comple=on
of
“core”
program
in
2019
will
treat
and
disinfect
95%
average
annual
wet
weather
flow.

7. Working
with
Partner
Organiza=ons
• 2011:
Michigan
regulators
revised
the
DWSD
facility’s
permit
without
extensive
public
comment
or
discussion
• The
Alliance
for
the
Great
Lakes,
Sierra
Club,
Great
Lakes
Environmental
Law
Center,
Lake
Erie
WaterKeeper,
Michigan
Environmental
Council,
and
Friends
of
the
Detroit
River
sent
an
appeal
lefer
sent
to
the
Michigan
Department
of
Natural
Resources
and
Environment
encouraging
MDEQ
to
revisit
the
DWSD
permit

8. The
Alliance
and
Partner
Groups'
Recommenda=ons:
• Mechanism
for
increased
and
meaningful
public
par=cipa=on
during
permit
process
• Strengthen
green
infrastructure
programs
in
the
Detroit
River/Lake
Erie
area
• Reduc=on
of
phosphorus
discharges
that
contribute
to
algae
blooms
in
Lake
Erie

9. NPDES
Permit
Modifica=on
Success
Story
Detroit
Water
and
Sewage
Department
Detroit,
Michigan
The Revised Permit:
• DWSD will improve its sewage treatment
operations and develop an
implementation plan for its green
infrastructure program.
• Reduction of 2.8 million gallons of storm
water from reaching the combined sewer
system by June 30, 2017.
• The plant must also maintain lower
phosphorus discharges to prevent algae
growth in Lake Erie.

10. NPDES
Permit
Modifica=on
Success
Story
Detroit
Water
and
Sewage
Department
Detroit,
Michigan
Continuing Action:
• Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality has created a
web page to provide detailed
information on the DWSD plant
• Commitment to public meetings
with DWSD during the coming year
to address community concerns

11. Many
Thanks
for
Suppor=ng
this
Work!