Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair Board David Woodward, left, and Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash address questions about the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin on Sept. 18.
By: Nick Powers | C&G Newspapers | Published September 19, 2024
MADISON HEIGHTS — Oakland County officials have pushed back against accusations that the county has been dumping untreated sewage into the Clinton River and, ultimately, into Lake St. Clair.
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash provided a rebuttal of claims made by officials in Macomb County at a press conference at the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin on Sept. 18. Nash called the facility “state of the art” and said it meets all the requirements from the state. He said claims made against it by officials in Macomb County and, most recently, Clinton Township, were false.
“It’s important to understand water quality issues in Macomb County are longstanding and they’re not caused by this facility,” Nash said. “We follow all environmental laws, especially the Clean Water Act, and work closely with EGLE (the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) to make sure we meet or exceed these standards.”
Who’s polluting?
Macomb County officials, including Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, have referred to combined sewer overflows from the basin into the Red Run as being partially treated. Nash said this is false.
“All the water that leaves this facility is fully treated,” Nash said.
Nash went on to say that the water goes through a screening process and is treated with bleach. He said the water from the basin is not polluted and has been examined in third-party scientific studies. According to Nash, the water is safe enough to swim in but not to drink.
In a video before the meeting, Miller questioned the status of the water.
“How can you say with a straight face that dumping billions of gallons of partially-treated and, in some cases, untreated sewer water on your neighbor is OK?” Miller said. “If it’s OK, why doesn’t Oakland County just take care of it themselves? Why dump it on us, on their neighbor?”
She said there was a recent discharge where the E. coli count was 80,000.
“Remember, they close beaches when the E. coli count is 300,” Miller said.
Nash lays the blame at Macomb County’s feet, saying the city of Warren’s water recovery facility has, over the course of 18 years, spilled 1.4 billion gallons of raw sewage into the Red Run.
In a 2020 video, Miller points out sanitary wipes strewn around the Red Run, pointing to this as evidence of Oakland County dumping partially-treated combined sewer overflows.
Nash said this was a spill from the Dequindre Interceptor, which is a sewer interceptor that goes down the road of the same name. He said this interceptor is separate from the basin and the water never goes through it.
“This was out at the end, beyond our facility,” Nash said.
When there is an overflow
Nash said the basin sends sanitary sewage into the Red Run to keep sewer water from getting into the basements of homes in the area.
“If we’re dumping sewage in their basements, we’re not protecting the health and safety of the citizens,” Nash said.
Nash said a discharge violation in May, which is being investigated by EGLE, happened because of a door that is part of the chlorine treatment process. He said this was a result of human error and that measures were taken to make sure it never happens again.
“The door that did that froze up and didn’t work. That is why we had that violation,” Nash said. “Before we even got a response by EGLE when we reported it, we fixed the problem. They recognized there was a violation but, since it was fixed before they really did anything about it, this is the kind of thing you don’t even get an issue with. They just recognized that you had a problem.”
He claims the output from the basin is only 1% of the total flow into Lake St. Clair.
“Many federal, state and regional entities have shown there is no link between our facility and beach closings or the muck on Lake St. Clair,” Nash said.
He attributed the problems to runoff from animal waste, fertilizer and invasive species.
Nash said Macomb County drains go directly into the Red Run and impact the water quality. He cautioned against separating storm water and wastewater systems.
“Let me be clear: Separating our systems would cost our residents many billions of dollars, years of infrastructure and economic disruption and offer no tangible benefits to water quality in Lake St. Clair or anywhere in Macomb County,” Nash said.
Passed due permit
In a press release before the press conference, Miller’s office said the basin was operating under an expired permit.
Nash said no enforcement action has been taken against the basin in its history, adding that when there is a problem it gets cleared up “immediately.”
“We submitted all required documentation to EGLE months in advance of the expiration renewal date for our permit,” Nash said. “EGLE acknowledged the receipt of those submissions and current regulation by EGLE spells out that such facilities as ours continue their operations under an old permit while a new one is being processed. This is routine and should not be misconstrued as a sign of noncompliance with clean water standards.”
Nash confirmed that the permit was not in limbo because of any corrective actions that need to be taken by the basin.
Politics?
The issue has been picking up steam in Macomb County. Municipalities including Sterling Heights, Warren, Center Line, Clinton Township, Harrison Township and Mount Clemens have passed resolutions criticizing Oakland County for its combined sewer overflows. The Macomb County Board of Commissioners has also passed a resolution.
Nash traces the accusations back to politics.
“This accusation is an example of a classic political scapegoating tactic, shifting attention away from the real issues at hand: Macomb County’s own costly infrastructure challenges,” Nash said. “For over a decade, Macomb County has failed to address recommendations from EGLE designed to protect the residents and Lake St. Clair.”
Nash touted off-site storage as the largest in the country and green solutions like its rain barrel program to limit combined sewer overflows. Macomb County recently introduced a similar pilot program in Roseville.
At the event, Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair Board David Woodward provided a full-throated defense of the county’s water management.
“When Macomb County points fingers at Oakland County, and they’ve been doing it for a while, you can bat it away as a distraction of covering up for the fact they’re not making anywhere near the level of investments we are here in Oakland County,” Woodward said.
However, recent accusations by the county have “crossed the line” for Woodward.
“The staff of the Public Works Commissioner in Macomb County knows it’s wrong, the state of Michigan knows it’s wrong and enough is enough,” Woodward said.
Woodward challenged Macomb County.
“It’s time to step up, do your part and meet us halfway,” Woodward said.
Following the press conference, Nash said the Red Run Intercounty Drain Drainage Board would be one avenue through which to hash out some of these details. One of the meetings, which happen monthly, was before the press conference. Members of the board can include “surrounding County Public Works Commissioners wherein the drain traverses,” according to the county’s website. Miller did not bring up these concerns at the meeting.
“She has never brought this up to the board that controls this system,” Nash said. “That seems odd to me.”
He said the county collaborates regionally on many different things. He said this, in the case of Macomb County, is an exception.
“They’ve never come to us with these complaints directly,” Nash said. “If she really wants to solve it, we should solve it together.”